According to senior doctors from the hospital, the centre went defunct in 2002-2003, when most of its doctors and directors left it for the private sector.

However, in 2008, the centre got a fresh lease of life when the NPFC was aided with a grant of Rs 4.58 crore from the National Aids Control Organisation. If this proposal sees the light of the day it will become a part of the Rs 21.51 cr grant needed to enable the NPFC to increase its output.

Explaining the need of such a fractionation centre, Vinay Shetty, vice-president of Think Foundation, which has over the years coordinated blood donation drives for numerous blood banks, said, “A centre like this will be a major boost for patients who require repeated transfusions. Haemophiliacs will derive great benefits as they will be able to get the proteins needed to treat blood clotting,” said Shetty.

Plasma fractionation is a process by which important plasma proteins can be separated from each other and preserved in a purified and concentrated form for effective treatment. Doctors say that plasma products can be used for making medicines.

For example, the protein albumin is used to treat patients with burns, liver and kidney diseases while immunoglobulin is used to treat patients with antibody deficiencies.

Dr Sanjay Jadhav, head, State Blood Transfusion Council said, “Unfortunately, such centres are not common in the country. Hence if a civic hospital is reviving such a centre it is a welcome move as quality medical care will now be accessible to people from every background.”