Department of Transfusion Medicine

The Department of Transfusion Medicine at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) started as blood bank in the old hospital block under Department of Pathology in 1966. This was established to cater to the needs of JIPMER hospital, the annual turnover was around 600 units. Blood component separation was started in 1988, with separation of 500 units of blood per annum. HIV testing and HCV testing of blood donors was started in the year 1988 and 2000 respectively. Plateletpheresis and therapeutic plasma exchange using cell separator were made available from the year 2002. Peripheral hematopoietic stem cell (bone marrow cells) collection for blood cancer patients was introduced in 2013.

Department of Transfusion Medicine was created in February’2009 with Dr. SP. Subbiah as Head of Department and blood bank started functioning under this department. Post Graduate Course in Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology was started from the Academic year 2009-2010 with an intake of one student per annum. From February 2021, the Transfusion Medicine department is housed in a new state-of-the-art blood center with all the infrastructure as per the current regulations and guidelines. This was inaugurated on February 25, 2021 by Shri. Narendra Modi, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.

More than 100 voluntary blood donation camps are conducted annually and nearly 85% of the total collection is from voluntary blood donors. Present annual turnover is more than 18,000 units of blood and 100% of total collection is separated into blood components such as PRBC, FFP, Platelets and Cryoprecipitate, Cryo Poor Plasma. Advanced procedures such as Plasma exchange, Platelet apheresis, Leucapheresis for hematopoietic stem cell collection and as therapeutic measure etc., are being carried out in good numbers.

It currently has the status of a Regional Blood Transfusion Centre and Model Blood bank in Puducherry state, and caters to the needs of patients not only at JIPMER but also those in other hospitals in Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu. Thus, it meets 80% of the total blood requirements for the Union Territory of Puducherry. Apart from basic equipments needed for blood components separation and Apheresis unit, the department is equipped with sterile connecting device, automated component expressers, blood irradiator and other state of art equipments to prepare modified blood products, such as Leuco-depleted, aliquot preparation, irradiated or saline-washed blood components for use in special situations. It follows all the recommended quality-control steps, and its products meet the quality standards prescribed by the statutory authorities.

Annually about 500 Single Donor platelets are prepared using apheresis and about 50 peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell collection procedures are being done. Facilities for therapeutic plasma exchange procedures are available round the clock; more than 100 such procedures are done annually. Department conducts CME’s and Training programs for outside blood bank personnel and clinicians under the aegis of Pondicherry Aids Control Society. It also conducts Voluntary Blood donation awareness drives before conducting Voluntary Blood donation camps in colleges and various institutes.