Improving rural healthcare facilities with energy efficient sustainable cold chain solutions

Prashant Kanaujia, Senior Research Associate, Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) talks about the role of energy efficient sustainable cold chain solutions in improving rural healthcare facilities

A vital medical procedure that annually saves millions of lives is blood transfusion. Nonetheless, proper treatment and storage are necessary to keep donated blood useful and safe for transfusion. In this situation, cold chain management is essential.

The term “cold chain” in healthcare refers to the process of maintaining a consistent optimal temperature for blood and other medical supplies during transportation from the donor to the recipient and storage in between.

Red blood cells, plasma, and platelets are among the blood components sensitive to temperature variations. They might deteriorate, lose their effectiveness, or become contaminated when exposed to heat or cold. As a result, there may be a danger of infection, problems, or negative reactions for the recipient and a reduction in the quality of the blood product. Hence the regulation of temperature is a crucial component of blood storage and transfer.

In addition, blood storage is subject to strict regulations and accreditation standards that require blood banks to maintain a reliable cold chain. These requirements are in place to safeguard the blood products’ integrity and quality and the recipient patients’ health. If these requirements are unmet, sanctions, accreditation loss, or even legal action may ensue. Blood banks can demonstrate their commitment to quality and compliance and meet regulatory and certification standards by ensuring proper maintenance of the cold chain. As per a press release from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) on 29^th March 2022[i], there are 3,840 licensed blood banks. India needs about 1.5 crore units of blood every year[ii]. While as per National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) the blood units collected in India in year 2022 is 1.2 crore units[iii]. There is a severe lack of blood supplies over much of the nation, particularly in rural areas. A weak cold chain infrastructure is one of the leading causes of the discrepancy between the supply and demand of blood. I recently paid a visit to the Doctors for You Charity Hospital in Masarhi, Patna District, Bihar, where I learned about the fundamental difficulties that hospitals, Sub-Centres (SCs), and PHCs (Primary Health Centres) experience in managing blood banks in rural areas of India. The main difficulty is maintaining a constant power (grid) supply to run the temperature-controlled refrigerators for blood unit storage. Power outages lasting weeks are not unusual in India’s rural areas. Moreover, even when grid supply is available, the refrigerator’s ability to cool either suffers from voltage fluctuation or sustains damage.

Energy-efficient sustainable cooling techniques must be used to address these grid connectivity-related issues in rural India. To ensure a constant power supply to the device and maintain refrigerator temperature, cold chain solutions that use thermal or solar energy should be encouraged. Energy-efficient, sustainable cold chain solutions are advantageous for the environment, society at large, and the blood bank. Blood banks may lessen their carbon footprint, support environmental sustainability, and encourage energy conservation using less electricity. The AEEE is deploying these energy-efficient cold chain solutions at Doctors for You Charitable Hospital in Masahri to highlight their advantages and improve the outlying medical facility in rural parts of the country.

In conclusion, growing blood banks must maintain a trustworthy cold chain. It prevents waste, complies with accreditation and regulatory requirements, and enhances health outcomes by guaranteeing the safety and effectiveness of blood products. Blood banks can make a significant contribution to the betterment of the health of their communities and the preservation of lives by investing in energy-efficient infrastructure, tools, and training to support an appropriate cold chain.

References:

[i] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1810996

[ii] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1860053

[iii] https://www.eraktkosh.in/BLDAHIMS/bloodbank/transactions/bbpublicindex.html