MMC Website

Transfusion Medicine

History

Introduction

Welcome to the Department of Transfusion Medicine at Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH)! For over seven decades, we've been at the forefront of blood transfusion services in Tamil Nadu, proudly standing as the largest government blood center in the state.

History

Established in 1949, the Department of Transfusion Medicine at Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) stands as a pioneer in government-run blood transfusion services in Tamil Nadu. Over the decades, it has evolved into the largest Government Blood Centre in the state, collecting over 30,000 blood units annually.

Round-the-Clock Lifeline

Providing 24x7 blood services, including complete blood component therapy, entirely free for poor patients. Blood and components are readily available for emergencies, disasters, and clinical needs, with stock always maintained on the shelf.

Voluntary Blood Donation camps

With 250–300 blood donation camps held annually, the center is powered by voluntary blood donors.
A state-of-the-art Hi-Tech Mobile Blood Bus, launched in 2009 at a cost of ₹50 lakhs, enables city-wide donation camps and enhances community outreach. The blood center prepares and supplies nearly 90,000 blood products every year to multiple super-specialty departments

Apheresis Donations

Single Donor Platelet (SDP) collection through apheresis was initiated as early as 2005, now achieving nearly 300 collections annually with consistent success and delivering high-quality, life-saving products

National Contributions

Actively participated in the ICMR PLACID Trial, contributing to COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy research during the pandemic.

Academic Excellence

Now a designated Metro Blood Bank temporary site, the center has been upgraded to a Centre of Excellence, and NMC has granted 3 MD seats in Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion annually, shaping the next generation of specialists.
Furthermore, we serve as a Regional Training Center, imparting crucial knowledge and skills to Blood Center Medical Officers, Counselors, Staff Nurses, and Lab Technicians from across the region.

BLOOD CENTRE- RECEPTION & COUNSELLING AREA

REGIONAL TESTING CENTRE- IMMUNOHEMATOLOGY

Faculty & Residents

Dr.S.Subash

Professor /HOD

Dr. Subash S. did his MBBS degree at Chengalpattu medical college(1989-1995) and did his DCH at Madras medical college(2002-2004) and his MD(master degree) at Tamilnadu Dr. MGR medical university(2006-2009) is a dedicated specialist in Transfusion Medicine with a keen interest in apheresis, immunohematology, and blood donor safety. He actively contributes to medical education, research, and quality improvement in blood banking, and is committed to advancing safe transfusion practices through innovation, training, and evidence-based approaches.

Dr. S. Aswinkumar

Associate professor

DR.S.ASWIN KUMAR MBBS (2010), MD (2014, Gold Medal), NABH Technical Assessor for blood banks. Implemented column agglutination technology (2017), leukoreduction (2018), Donor/Therapeutic apheresis (2024), and specialized pediatric plasma/red cell exchange. Achieved full automation in infectious disease screening (2025). Focused on quality assurance of blood products.

Dr.G.Kavitha

Assistant Professor

DR.G.KAVITHA MBBS(1997),MD(2016),Joined MMC on 2020 and was a part of CONVALESCENT PLASMA TRIAL(PLACID) published 6 JOURNALS of which 2 holding 1st author position,3 holding 2nd author position and 1 holding corresponding author position ,was a part of young medical faculty PhD program under ACSIR-DHR-ICMR

Dr.S.Sudha

Senior Resident

She did her undergraduation in Madras Medical College in 1998. Joined Tamil Nadu services in 2008.Then did her diploma in clinical pathology at Stanley Medical College in 2016. She did her master in M.D in Immunohaematology and transfusion medicine in Madras Medical College in 2022. Joined as Assistant Professor in Madras Medical College.

Dr.S.Sangeetha

Senior Resident

She did her MBBS degree at Thanjavur medical college(2012-2017) and joined government service at Tamilnadu state on 2019.She finished her MD degree in Transfusion medicine at Madras medical college(2022-2025).She joined as Senior Resident at Department of Transfusion medicine on 2025 and continuing till now

S.No	Name of the Residents joined in the year 2022	Name of the Residents joined in the year 2023	Name of the Residents joined in the year 2024
1	Dr.R.Praveen shankar	Dr.M.S.Veshika Abinaya	Dr.Swadhini Baskaran
2	Dr.S.Sumathira	Dr.A.Khanitha Nuzhath	Dr.Nidhya.G
3	Dr.Franzine marie syiemlieh	Dr.T.Anusha	Dr.Annuth Chandran

Facility & Clinical Care

Laboratory Service

Blood Grouping
Cross - Coomb’s Matching Test
Direct Agglutination Test (DAT)

Indirect Agglutination Test (IAT)
Antibody Screening and Identification Test

Specialized Blood Components

Packed Red Cells (PRBC)
Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP)
Random Donor Platelets (RDP)
Cryoprecipitate

Apheresis
Single Donor Platelets
Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Collection

Regional Testing Centre

Advanced Immunohematology Workup
Antibody Titre, Autoimmune hemolytic anemia workup
Adsorption and Elution Testing

DTT Testing IgG Antibody Titre
Specific Red Cell Antigen Typing
Complete Red Cell Antigen Profile for Sickle cell anaemia/Thalassemia disease

COAGULATION PARAMETERS

for quality control of blood components
THROMBOELASTOMETRY ANALYSIS BY USING ROTEM-for patient blood management for critical cases & liver transplant cases
AUTOMATED COMPONENT EXTRACTOR -for preparing buffy coat platelets
HLA- NGS (Low Resolution/High resolution- Single Bead Antigen assay, donor specific antigen workup

CLIA -Chemiluminescence immunoassay- for TTI screening
ANTIBODY TITRE -for Pre& Post Renal Transplant cases
LEUKOREDUCTION - of blood products
STEM CELLS - cryopreservation & thawing

Academic Forum

CME AND CONFERENCE

CME / CONFERENCE

S.NO	Date	CME / CONFERENCE – Title	University / TNMSC Credits / both if present	State or National level or institute level
1	2021	ISBTI – Virtual conference of Transfusion Medicine	5	National level
2	2024	Transmedcon – National Conference	5	National level

WORKSHOP / TRAINING PROGRAMME

S.NO	Date	WORKSHOP / TRAINING with Title	University / TNMSC Credits / both if present	State or National level or Institute
1	2022	Patient Blood Management workshop with ROTEM	NA	Institute level
2	2022	Hands on workshop on basics of Immunohematology	NA	Institute level
3	2022	State level Refresher training for Medical Officers, Staff Nurse & Lab Technicians	NA	State Level
4	2023	State Level Refresher Training for Medical Officers, Staff Nurses & Lab Technicians	NA	State Level
5	2023	Hands on Workshop on Immunohematology	NA	State Level
6	2023	ROTEM	NA	Institute level
7	2024	Immunohematology Workshop	NA	State Level
8	2024	ROTEM	NA	Institute level
9	2024	Apheresis	NA	Institute level
10	2024	Integrating coagulation into Transfusion Medicine	NA	National level
11	2024	The Finer Nuances of Apheresis	NA	National level
12	2024	Taking advanced Immunohematology to the bedside	NA	National level
13	2024	Transplant Immunology at its best	NA	National level
14	2024	Informatics & Data Science in Transfusion	NA	National level
15	2024	Academic Leadership Extravaganza for Emerging Leaders in Transfusion Medicine	NA	National level
16	2024	Wet Workshop on Advanced Immunohematology	NA	National level

QUIZ / COMPETITIONS

S.NO	Date	Quiz / Competitions with Title	University / TNMSC Credits / both if present	Prizes awarded to	a. Inter or Intra – Collegiate Level b. State or National level
1	28.06.2022	Mega Blood Donation Camp by under graduates	NA	NA	Inter Collegiate Level
2	28.06.2023	World Blood Donor Day Quiz & Drawing Competition conducted by under graduates	NA	NA	Inter Collegiate Level
3	2024	TRANSMEDCON – Paper Presentation	5	PGs	National Level
4	2024	TRANSMEDCON – Poster Presentation	5	PGs	National Level

Other Events

S.NO	Date	Other events with Title	Details
1

Scientific Forum

Completed Projects

Ongoing Projects

Awards & Achievements

S.NO	Date/Month & Year	Name of the Awards & achievements received	Name of the awardee with designation	District level / State level / National level	Images
1	01/12/2020	Appreciation award for the best services rendered in blood bank for achieving the goals of national AIDS control program	Dr.S.Subash Prof&HOD	State	View

Guests Lectures

Dr.Klaus Goerlinger Global Medical Director

Topic: Patient Blood Management -Case Discussion

Institution Level

Success Stories

2019–2020: The ICMR - PLACID TRIAL for Convalescent Plasma in the management of moderate Covid-19 in India was successfully completed in the Department of Transfusion Medicine. More than 500 convalescent plasma units were collected from COVID-recovered patients and used for treating moderately ill COVID-19 patients.
2020: First Government Blood Centre in Tamil Nadu to have a Regional Testing Centre facility for Basic and Advanced Immunohematological workup. Compatible antigen-negative blood units are issued under the guidance of Transfusion specialists for all Immunohematological discrepancy cases.
2021: Upgraded into a Centre of Excellence and now functioning as the temporary site of Metro Blood Bank with advanced facilities such as Automation with HLA and Coagulation Laboratory.
2022: Patient Blood Management with Thromboelastometry for critical cases and liver transplant. Peripheral Stem Cell collection, cryopreservation, and thawing were started along with the Haematology Department.
2022: NMC permitted 3 postgraduate seats for MD in Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, and as of now, 9 PG candidates are pursuing the course.
2022: Designated as a Refresher Training Centre by the Tamil Nadu Blood Transfusion Council for training Medical Officers, Staff Nurses, and Lab Technicians — so far, 415 personnel of various cadres have been trained.
2023: Conducted a State-level Refresher Training Programme for Medical Officers, Staff Nurses, and Lab Technicians from all over Tamil Nadu and other states.
2024: Successfully conducted TRANSMEDCON 2024, a national-level conference for postgraduate students and Transfusion Medicine faculty from all over India. Over 1000 participants attended workshops and seminars over four days, gaining insights into emerging trends in transfusion medicine.
2025: The first batch of M.D. (Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine) students graduated from Madras Medical College, with a demand for two additional postgraduate seats in the coming years.

Central Laboratory

Delivering 24x7 Advanced Transfusion Services

We are proud to offer the most advanced and comprehensive blood transfusion services functioning round-the-clock to support critical care, surgeries, emergencies, and chronic transfusion needs

Our Key Facilities

Safe Blood Donation Environment- A donor-friendly setting with post-donation counselling and care.
Blood Donor Registry Access -Rapid access to rare and common blood groups, including Rh-negative donors.
Plateletpheresis & Therapeutic Apheresis- Single donor platelets, multicomponent collection, and apheresis for selected conditions.
Leukoreduced Blood Components-Available for immunocompromised and critical patients.
Fully Automated Pre-Transfusion Testing-Blood grouping, cross-matching, and antibody screening using state-of-the-art automation.
Advanced Donor Screening with automated chemiluminescence for maximum safety.
Robust Quality Assurance Program-Ensuring continuous safety, adequacy, and reliability of all transfusions.
Comprehensive Transfusion Support-Specialized care for: -Thalassemia, Hemophilia

Major surgeries, Autoimmune disorders, Platelet function disorders Pediatric transfusions

Coagulopathies.

Specialized Investigation Services

ABO & Rh Blood Grouping
Direct and Indirect Coombs Test
Antibody Screening & Identification
Minor Red Cell Antigen Phenotyping
Blood Group Discrepancy Resolution
Antibody Characterization (Type, Potency, Specificity, Thermal Amplitude)
Complete Serological Evaluation for Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia
Elution & Adsorption Techniques
Secretor Status (Saliva Testing)
Transfusion Reaction Workup

Special Procedure Capabilities

Plateletpheresis (SDP)

Plasmapheresis / Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE)

Rotational Thromboelastometry (ROTEM) – Real-time hemostasis monitoring- On-demand Point-of-Care Testing (ROTEM) for intraoperative and postoperative bleeding

Immediate issue of blood and components for emergency & red-zone patients

Transfusion Medicine Consultation-Expert guidance by certified Transfusion Specialists.

Highlights

No Highlights information available for this department.

High Dependency Unit

No High Dependency Unit information available for this department.

Others

Our upcoming projects are

Irradiation of blood components
Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing(NAT)
Flow Cytometry in Immunogenetics &Flow Cytometric cross matching /CD34 Count
Genotyping by RT-PCR