WHO studies and guidelines have indicated that India’s demand for blood and blood components should be 1% of the total population. Accordingly, it has been estimated during the planning of National AIDS Control Programme, Phase – III that the country’s annual requirement of blood is 85.00 lakh units.

As per the data collected from the States/UTs, 74.03 lakh units of blood were collected during 2008 – 09, out of which 61.7% collection was through voluntary blood donation. Further, out of this, 6.24 lakh units were separated into various components including platelets.

The various steps taken by the Government to make available blood and platelets in sufficient quantity are as follows:

(i) Augmentation of voluntary blood donation by conducting Voluntary Blood Donation Camps. During 2008-09, 50,340 such camps were organised.

(ii) Awareness programmes to motivate the youth and recruit/retain them as voluntary blood donors;

(iii) 130 Blood Component Separation Units have been set up in Blood Banks at Medical College Hospitals, so that sufficient quantity of platelets can be prepared;

(iv) It is planned to cover the remaining 35 Medical College Hospitals in the public sector to have component separation facilities in the country during Phase – III of National AIDS Control Programme (2007-12).

This information was given by Shri Dinesh Trivedi Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha