-By Dr Naresh Purohit
Donating blood is a simple, painless, and extremely safe procedure, yet only a small percentage of the population donates blood on a regular basis. Only around 10% of those who are rated “eligible” for blood donation choose to do so. Because blood donation is a completely voluntary activity, World Blood Donor Day serves as a timely reminder that “too much blood donation” is never a good thing.
According to WHO estimates, blood donation by 1 per cent of the population is the minimum needed to meet a country’s basic blood requirements.
In 2018-19, India’s blood collection fell 15 per cent over the previous year, or 1.9 million units short of the 1 per cent benchmark.
The WHO norm, however, is based on global averages and does not take into account India-specific factors and disease burden. As per Industry reports, in 2017-18, over 6.57 lakh units of blood and its products were discarded. 50 per cent of the wasted units were Plasma which has a longer shelf life as compared to whole blood and red blood cells that have to be used within 35 days.
Every year our nation requires about 5 Crore units of blood, out of which only a meager 2.5 Crore units of blood are available.
The gift of blood is the gift of life. There is no substitute for human blood.
Every two seconds someone needs blood.
More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year.
The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.
More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood
It has to be noted that blood cannot be manufactured – it can only come from generous donors.
Type O-negative blood (red cells) can be transfused to patients of all blood types. It is always in great demand and often in short supply.
Type AB-positive plasma can be transfused to patients of all other blood types. AB plasma is also usually in short supply.
Voluntary Unpaid Blood Donors :
Voluntary unpaid blood donors are the cornerstone of safe and adequate blood supplies. Voluntary blood donors are those who donate blood, plasma or cellular components of their own free will for altruistic reasons and are not under any pressure from hospital staff or family members to donate blood. They entrust their blood donations to be used as needed, rather than for specific patients.
Advantages of Blood Donation:
•The first and foremost advantage of donating blood is the exalted feeling of saving someones life.
If we donate the little excess blood in our body, it could save someones life without creating any problem for us.
•Blood donation is an excellent way to get rid of excess iron accumulated in our body due to its overconsumption. Iron overloading is also thought to increase the risk of heart diseases.
Studies have shown that donating blood regularly can be beneficial for the heart and circulatory system and can reduce the risk of heart diseases, especially among young people.
Blood donation is not hazardous. Before donating blood, your hemoglobin level will be tested. If it is low, then you will not be allowed to donate blood.
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