The Jalpaiguri Government Medical College & Hospital (JGMCH) has rolled out a “reserve system” to minimise blood wastage.
The new system at the JGMCH’s blood bank aims to ensure precious units of blood are used judiciously, reducing the monthly wastage figure which is around 30 units now.
Kalyan Khan, the medical superintendent and vice-principal of the JGMCH, said that from now on, based on the written recommendation of doctors on blood units needed, the families of patients who are supposed to undergo surgery would submit a requisition to the blood bank.
“The new system works by reserving blood units in the name of a patient scheduled for surgery. The family concerned will now submit the requisition at the blood bank, which will reserve the necessary number of units of the specific blood group under the patient's name for up to 120 hours or five days,” he said.
“This blood will only be handed over as and when needed, under medical supervision. If a patient does not need all the reserved blood, it will go back into circulation for other patients after the reservation period lapses,” Khan added.
Sources said the earlier practice involved collecting more blood than needed which led to wastage, as a blood unit once taken out of the blood bank cannot be returned according to government rules.
“This system is a safeguard against unnecessary blood collection and wastage,” said a source.
Dialysis unit
The Siliguri District Hospital is gearing up for significant infrastructure upgrades, including a new dialysis unit, an air-conditioned pediatric ward and digital prescription services.
“The state has officially given the nod for a 10-bed dialysis unit. The budget is yet to be fixed," said Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb, the chairman of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti of the district hospital.
The district hospital also started a trial for an e-prescription system via SMS. "If successful, the project will be rolled out across departments, reducing paperwork and improving prescription accuracy,” added Deb.
The 60-bed paediatric ward will also undergo an upgrade with a centralised air-conditioning system, sources said.