Blood centre at SSG Hospital hits historic highs

Vadodara: The blood centre at state-run SSG Hospital in Vadodara has recorded all-time highs in both blood distribution and collection, marking a major expansion in lifesaving services over the past four years.Data from the govt hospital shows that between 2022 and 2025, the centre not only met rising demand from patients with chronic blood disorders but also set new benchmarks across key service areas. Blood supply for pregnant women and newborns under the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) registered a sharp 70% increase, the highest in recent years, strengthening maternal and neonatal care. Support for sickle cell anaemia patients rose steeply during the period. The number of units issued more than tripled, from 518 in 2022 to a record 1,672 units in 2025. Children with thalassaemia, who depend on lifelong transfusions, received 1,086 units in 2025, the highest annual allocation so far. The blood centre has also expanded its advanced treatment capabilities by scaling up therapeutic apheresis services, including red cell exchange, plasma exchange, leukapheresis, granulocytapheresis, plateletpheresis and peripheral blood stem cell collection. These procedures are increasingly used to manage complex and critical conditions such as sickle cell disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, myasthenia gravis, leukaemia and autoimmune disorders. "Parallelly, blood collection has touched a new peak. The centre collected 16,422 units in 2025, up from 12,687 units in 2022 — the highest ever recorded — supported by 177 donation camps and over 9,400 voluntary donors," said Dr Ranjan Aiyer, medical superintendent of SSG Hospital. Hospital officials said the consistent rise across parameters reflects growing public trust as well as the blood centre's enhanced capacity.