Archive · 2 Jun 2025
Karnataka Blood Bank Wastage Hits Three-Year High
Blood banks in Karnataka are throwing away more blood than they have in the past three years.
This year, almost 45,000 units of blood were discarded.
A lot of this is because some blood isn't healthy; it has things like HIV or hepatitis, and they can only check after they collect it.
Blood doesn't last forever.
Platelets only last five days, and red blood cells last a bit longer, so if they aren't used quickly enough, they have to be thrown out.
Sometimes, they collect too much blood, or they don't keep track of it well, which also leads to waste.
They're trying to fix this by planning better and teaching people about blood donation.
Karnataka blood banks discarded 44,776 blood units in 2024-25, a 3-year high.
The increase in wastage occurred despite consistent blood collection volumes over the past three years.
Sero-reactive blood units, testing positive for infections like HIV, are a significant cause of wastage.
Limited shelf life of blood components, such as platelets (5 days) and red blood cells (42 days), contributes to wastage.
Logistical challenges like over-collection and poor stock rotation also lead to unnecessary losses.
- Who
- Karnataka State Blood Cell
- What
- Discarded blood units in Karnataka reached a 3-year high
- When
- 2024-25
- Where
- Karnataka
- Why
- Due to sero-reactive blood, limited shelf life, and logistical challenges.
- Discarded Blood Units (2024-25)
- 44,776
- Discarded Blood Units (2023-24)
- 37,906
- Discarded Blood Units (2022-23)
- 43,857
- Total Units Collected (2024-25)
- 9.83 lakh
- Shelf life of Platelets
- 5 days
- Shelf life of Red blood cells
- 42 days