• Blood donation and apheresis platelet donation: From voluntary non-remunerated donors who are eligible to donate as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act (DCGI, Govt. of India)
  Blood donation activity occurs in the blood centre as well as in the outdoor blood donation camps. Platelet donation by apheresis occurs only in the blood centre Timings of blood donation in the blood centre: Monday to Friday: 9.30 am to 4 pm
  Saturday: 9.30 am to 1 pm
  Timings for platelet donation: Monday to Friday: 9.30 am to 2 pm
  Saturday: 9.30 am to 11 am
  About 15-20 blood donation camps are organized per month with the support of camp organizers e.g.Corporate companies, Social organizations, colleges, government offices, banks etc. The blood centre has material for donor information, education and counselling.
• Blood component preparation: Blood components i.e. Red Cell Concentrate, Platelet Concentrate, Fresh Frozen Plasma and Cryoprecipitate are prepared from the blood units donated by voluntary blood donors within 8 hours of donation. All the donated units are separated into components. Patients suffering from haematological diseases like thalassemia major, infections like dengue and those undergoing surgeries e.g. cardiac surgery, and those with trauma benefit from transfusions of different blood components as per requirement. All blood units are preserved at 2-6 ° C, in a well-designed walk-in cooler (Cold Room) equipped with a continuous temperature monitor and alarm facility. Plasma and Cryo-precipitate are preserved in large freezers maintaining temperature below -30° C, while platelet concentrates are kept on a special rotator for continuous slow agitation which is essential for their proper functioning. The blood centre has equipments for separation and storage of blood components at their optimum temperature and shelf life. Blood component utilization ensures optimal utilisation of blood.
• Testing for transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs):
  All donated blood units undergo the mandatory testing for TTIs i.e. HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and malaria. They can be released for issue to patients only if all the tests mentioned above are non-reactive.
• Blood grouping , Crossmatching and other red cell serological investigations
  All the donor samples are tested for ABO and Rh blood grouping. All the patients who require blood transfusions are tested for ABO and Rh grouping. Crossmatching between recipient (patient) sample and donor sample is performed. Compatible blood units (red cell concentrates) are issued as per requisition from the clinician.
  Additionally, Direct and Indirect Antiglobulin tests, crossmatching in cases of auto and alloimmune red cell antibodies is performed.
• Prompt and appropriate disposal of unsafe blood
  All units of blood suspected to harbour infectious agents or be sub-optimal for any reason are carefully autoclaved at the Blood Bank and destroyed by incineration at the Municipal incinerator.
• Promptly provide blood, round the clock
  The Blood Bank crossmatches and issues blood and components continuously, all the twenty-four hours, thus making it available during all the emergency hours.
• Specailized services:
  
  • Therapeutic plasmapheresis: for patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome, myasthenia gravis and other clinical conditions with indications.
  • Peripheral Blood Stem Cells:Peripheral blood stem cells are also collected from patients of multiple myeloma, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma etc.and are transfused back to the patients which is called PBSC transplant.
  • Granulocytapheresis: Granulocytes are selectively collected from donors by apheresis technology and transfused to patients of aplastic anemia, other causes of neutropenia etc.
  • Quality Management System:
    The scope of Quality Management System applies to all the activities of the Department including blood collection including blood collection, public relation and community awareness programmes, testing, processing into components, issue, quality assurance, human resource development and equipments.
  • Others:
    It is associated with the National Plasma Fractionation Centre (NPFC), an autonomous institute located in K.E.M. Hospital, which manufactures plasma products like albumin, immunoglobulins and coagulation factor concentrates.

Material for information, education and counselling of blood donors is available in the department. Additionally, the counsellors and medical social workers motivate people for blood donation by taking lectures before blood donation camps as well as in the blood bank.

Who can donate blood and platelets? :

If you are between 18 and 65 years of age, weighing more than 45 kg and are healthy, you can donate blood. For platelet donation, the minimum weight should be 55 kg. You should have eaten a non-oily healthy breakfast/ meal within 4 hours before coming for blood donation. Additionally, the doctors in the blood bank will explain to you the benefits of as well as the eligibility criteria for blood donation

Courses offered:
M.D. (Immunohaematology and Blood Transfusion) by MUHS, approved by NMC
One of the prime objectives of the department is to provide didactic and practical training in all aspects of transfusion and transplantation technology so as to create well-trained manpower in the field who could operate a well-organized blood transfusion services in various medical colleges and hospitals in the country.
 M.D. (Immunohaematology and Blood Transfusion)  academic program provides training in all aspects of transfusion medicine including blood center operation, patient transfusion service, donor and therapeutic apheresis, thalassaemia and haemophilia management, viral screening and immunohematology. The students receive extensive training in running a large hospital- based transfusion service (presently managing transfusion services of 2200 bedded K.E.M. Hospital)
Student activities: Students are posted in sections in the blood bank like blood and apheresis donation room, TTI laboratory, blood component separation, immunohaematology, quality control as well as in blood donation camps by rotation.
As allied postings, the M.D. (Immunohaematology and Blood Transfusion ) students are also posted in clinical haematology, anaesthesiology, microbiology, pathology, National Institute of Immunohaematology (NIIH, ICMR), and ACTREC (A centre of Tata Hospital)

Teaching schedule: Latest teaching schedule from January 2023 till date (August 2023) is attached herewith

Other training activities: The department is also involved in teaching the M.B.B.S. students, students pursuing postgraduation in other subjects, DMLT, BPMT, nursing and various trainees and observers from different institutions.

1. Donor motivation, registration and counselling room
2. Blood donation room
3. Apheresis donation room
4. Blood component separation area
5. Transfusion Transmissible Infections Laboratory
6. Red cell serology laboratory
7. Component storage area
8. Blood issue counter

1. Bhagwat S, Sharma J, Bodade A. EVALUATION OF A CELL SEPARATOR FOR EFFECTIVENESS IN THE COLLECTION OF APHAERESIS PLATELETS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL. Int J Med Lab Res. 2021;6(1):28-34.
2. Kerkar AS, Bhagwat SN, Sharma JH. A study of clinical and serological correlation of positive direct antiglobulin test in blood bank at a tertiary care center. Journal of Laboratory Physicians. 2022 Jan 18;14(03):223-30.
3. Bhagwat S, Bankar S, Fulzele P, Sharma J. Transfusional Iron Overload-A Major Issue in Multi-Transfused Beta Thalassemia Patients. European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine. 2022 Jul 9;9(4):379-86.
4. Thakkar S, Bhagwat S, Sharma J. Antihuman globulin test reactivity in SARS-CoV-2 infection-positive patients. Asian J Transfus Sci. 2022 Jan-Jun;16(1):152-153.
5. Bhagwat SN, Sharma JH, Kadhane OR, Lalla P. Activity of Labile Coagulation Factors, Factor X and Fibrinogen Level in Frozen Plasma versus Fresh Frozen Plasma. Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research. 2023 May 1;17(5).
6. Jayashree Sharma, Manisha Madkaikar,Kavita Joshi, Reetika Yadavand Swarupa Bhagwat -  Placid Trial Collaborators : Convalescent Plasma in the management of Moderate COVID – 19 in India : An open – label parallel- arm phase II multicentre randomized trial ( Placid Trial) – Anup Agarwal, Aparna Mukherjee Gunjan Kumar et al along with ICMR Placid  Trial collaborators. – BMJ 2020:371:m4242
7. Harita Gogri,  Meghana Parihar, Swati Kulkarni, Manisha Madkaikar, Jayashree Sharma and Ajit Gorakshakar : Phenotyping and Genotyping of HNA: Alloimmunization and HNA Incompatibilities in Indians. Transfus Med Hemother ( 2023) 50(1): 30-38
8. Swati Kulkarni, Bhavika Choudhary, Harita Gogrri, Jayashree Sharma and Manisha Madkaikar : Red cell antigen phenotypes in Blood Donors & Thalassaemia patients for creation of Red Cell Antigen – matched inventory – Indian J Med Res. 2020 Sep: 152(3):273-279

• Establishment of rare donor registry
• A study of effect of therapeutic plasma exchange on biochemical parameters in patients at tertiary care hospital.
• An assessment of adverse donor reactions in single donor plateletpheresis procedure at tertiary care centre.
• Assessment of effect of plateletpheresis on haematological and biochemical parameters in the repeat platelet donors at tertiary care hospital.
• Clinical and immune haematological parameters in patients of autoimmune haemolytic anaemia.
• A study of effect of transfusion support in acute leukemia patient in a tertiary care hospital.

About 15-20 blood donation camps are organized per month with the support of camp organizers e.g. Corporate companies, Social organizations, colleges, government offices, banks etc.