“Due to Covid19, we are experiencing the largest ever lockdown in the world. Blood banks across India are facing shortages of blood components, with demand from patients with thalassemia, cancer, trauma and emergency interventions largely unmet in the current pandemic situation. It is essential to have at least one good blood bank in each district of India with good regulation and assured safety of blood transfusion. The oversight has to be provided by the State Blood Transfusion Council and the Food and Drug Administration. There is also a need to initiate the right dialogue with the involvement of multiple stakeholders to establish a robust policy environment for safe-blood transfusion, prioritising the patient’s safety uppermost and thereby preventing deaths from transfusion transmitted infections.”

- Professor K Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi