Dr. Debasish Gupta

Dr. Debasish Gupta is a Post-graduate in Transfusion Medicine – the first in the country.

He is currently the Professor & Head, Department of Transfusion Medicine at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala – An Institute of National Importance under Government of India. He started the Post-graduate programme in Transfusion Medicine in this institute since 2015.

He is associated with the discipline of Transfusion Medicine for the last 36 years and saw the creation of this new specialty of Medical Science under the dynamic statesmanship of Dr. J. G. Jolly while working under him at PGIMER, Chandigarh and later SGPGIMS, Lucknow. He the privileged one for being the first and the only Post-graduate student of Dr. Jolly considered as Father of Transfusion Medicine of India.

After his tenure with SGPGIMS, he joined Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Science (SVIMS), Tirupati in 1995 as an Assistant Professor and established the department of Transfusion Medicine and started academic courses. He organized the 25th Silver Jubilee National Conference of Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohematology (ISBTI) in the year 2000 that coincides with the 100 years of ABO discovery.

After getting promoted as Additional Professor in SVIMS, he joined as a National Consultant to Government of India for Blood Transfusion Services, and contributed significantly for the overall development of Blood Services in the country during NACP – II and NACP- III, like setting of 10 State-of-Art Model Blood Banks in the country, Blood Safety Training programmes for blood bank personnel, writing DPR and getting approval for Metro Blood Banks and Plasma Fractionation Centre, provision of Blood Transportation Vans and Blood Mobiles, amendments in the Drug and Cosmetic Act and many more. During his tenure as National Consultant, he organized and conducted several CMEs, Workshops, Training programmes across the entire country for Blood Transfusion service personals.

He was elected as the Founder President of Federation of Blood Donor Organization of India (FBDOI) in the year 2004 and continued to be the President for eight years. He has several national and international publications, book and book chapter and a reviewer of many national and international journals.

He has received several National, State and International awards for his contribution to the Transfusion Medicine and promotion of Voluntary Blood donation.

He joined as a Program Director (Blood Safety) with USAID for 3 years to assist the National Blood Transfusion Council of Kenya (KNBTC) under Ministry of Medical Service, Kenya for overall development of BTS in Kenya. During his tenure, he wrote 9 guidelines and 3 policies for KNBTC and conducted training programmes and accreditation of Blood Centres.

Presently, he is an Executive Member with Hemovigilance Programme of India, Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, Technical Resource Group member with DGHS and External Expert to NIIH, Mumbai (ICMR). As a senior faculty he is on the board of several committees of SCTIMST.