Blood is the most vital tissue in a human body for their overall wellness and survival. India being the second largest human resource in the World, but still in deficit of 20 lakh units of blood every year. It is estimated that only one percent of the Indian population comes forward to donate blood. The current situation of the country is that the demand for blood is double than the actual availability.

According to WHO, India was in need of 6 crore units of blood in 2017, but only half of the units were available. During critical conditions, most of the blood banks in India face the similar challenge of making sufficient blood available. It is also estimated that if only 1% of the population (in addition to the already donating) voluntarily donates blood, the demand supply deficit can be curbed down completely.

Who can donate blood?

To be eligible for donating blood, an individual must be healthy and should not be suffering from any acute chronic disease or blood related ailments. One can ensure their eligibility to donate blood through regular screening of their blood. For a healthy person doctors may recommend to undergo routine blood tests at least once a year. Regular health screening helps an individual to monitor their wellness and bodily changes over a period of time, and enables timely treatment to prevent chronic conditions.

It is the core responsibility of donor to ensure quality blood donating. A one who is 18 year or above, weighing more than 45 kgs and is not suffering from any infectious or chronic disease can donate blood. High blood pressure more than140/90. Diabetic person can donate blood if he/she is not taking insulin & diabetes is controlled by oral hypoglycemic drugs, pregnant and menstruating women are not allowed to donate blood.

Need of Blood Donation in India

In India, blood donation is required in every two seconds. Around 40,000 blood donors are required every day. In the year 2016, ministry of health family welfare reported there was blood donation of 10.9 million units against the demand the requirements of 12 million units.  The most demanding blood group by the hospitals is Group B. A single accidental victim requires more than 50 units of blood. More than one million patients are diagnosed with cancer every year and require blood daily or during their chemotherapy session.

Do not hesitate – Donate blood, it’s safe

Blood donation is a safe process where just a sterile needle is used for every single donor and is discarded after the use. Anyone can donate blood in four simple steps – registration, Medical History, Blood Donation and refreshments. No chances of infection during and after blood Donation. On an average around 350 to 450 mL of blood is withdrawn, which usually takes 24-48 hours to replace with the new blood volume. The Red Blood Cells (RBC) are replaced automatically within 4 to 6 weeks.

It is also a fact that women can donate blood once in every four months and men in every three months. The maximum age limit for blood donation is 65 years and regular donors older than 60 years may be accepted under the guidance of a blood bank doctor.

Don’t hesitate in donating blood. Your donation helps in saving life of people. If you start donating blood at the age of 18 and donated blood in every 90 days until you reached the age of 60, you would have donated 192 units of blood, potentially helping save more than 400 lives.

Who should not donate blood?

Some people are disqualified from donating blood because they have diseases that could be transmitted through blood. A person with HIV positive, HBsAg & HCV positive blood clotting disorder, any heart problem or cardiac surgery, tattoo done recently, received blood, plasma or other blood components recently, received chemotherapy or radiation for cancer treatment, suffering from anemia, recent attack by malaria parasite, dengue or chikungunya virus, an intravenous drug abuser, multiple sex partner should not donate blood.

Precautions that should be taken before donating blood

The day before your blood donation make sure you eat well, take balanced diet on the same day. Drink extra water and fluids; avoid caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee.

Dr Reena Bansal

HOD –Blood Bank

Saroj Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi

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Human blood cannot be produced through artificial means, as such there is no substitute for it.  Blood is a very precious body substance.  Blood can be collected from the donor’s body.  A healthy human body has approximately 5 to 6 litres of blood.  Blood weighs 7 per cent of the body weight.  It has white corpuscles, red corpuscles, platelets and plasma functioning complementarily.

At the time of donating blood 350 ml blood will be extracted.  Since blood cannot be produced through artificial means,  in emergency situations and dire need, the blood of donors are the only source of life support.  At the time of accidents and emergency situations and surgey, such as blood cancer, child birth there is a need for blood.  Besides, thalassimia and hemophilia patients need blood transfusion throughout their lives. 

Annually there is a need for 4 –  4.5 crore units of blood in our country.  The most distressing fact is that only 40 – 50 lakh units of blood being collected annually from voluntary blood donors.  That means only 70 – 80 per cent of the blood requirement  is supplied.  There is a daily requirement of 900 to 1200 units of blood in our state of Karnataka.At any moment, in any part of the country, someone or the other is in need of blood.  Hence there is a constant demand for at least 38,000 units of blood.  The blood donated by the donors is classified into whole blood, red blood corpuscles, platelet, plasma and cryoprecipitate.  With this classification it becomes possible to help the patient according to the individual need.

Blood donation, being a sacred act, every one of us must donate blood at least once in life time.  In view of the significance of blood donation, if every healthy person donates blood recurringly, the lives of the diseased, wounded and injured can be saved.  In several emergency situations, blood is very essential to save the human life.  There is no substitute for blood.  In spite of scientific research, we have not been able to produce blood artificially. Inevitably we depend on the donors. We need to develop the culture of donating blood voluntarily.  The true meaning of blood donation lies in donating blood voluntarily for no gains.

Blood donation is the greatest of all donations.

A healthy person by donating blood regularly can have sound health.  This is not an exaggeration.  Healthy men can donate blood 3 or 4 times a year, and healthy women can donate blood   2 or 3 times a year.  Only 70% of our country’s blood requirement is met by the blood donors.  Since blood cannot be produced artificially, it is inevitable that blood has to be received from the donors.

Realizing that blood donation is a social obligation, if everyone donates blood we can certainly solve the problem of shortage of blood.   For this reason every blood donor is considered a hero.  If every one donates blood, at least once a year, on one’s birth day or on the wedding anniversary or on any festive occasion, that would be the noblest of all deeds.   Blood has no distinction of caste, religion, and gender.  Any person of any caste or religion can donate blood.  The colour and composition of the human blood is the same all over the world.  Service to humanity is the greatest service.  Peace and harmony can be established through humanitarian acts.  Those with special type of blood should register their names with the blood banks and donate blood whenever there is urgent need for such blood.  Those with normal blood can donate blood regularly.  

In this direction public organizations and clubs such as Lions, JCIs, Red Cross should strive to bring about an awareness in the public.  Also they should strive to eradicate the wrong ideas and myths about blood donation.  Blood donation campaigns through street play, visual media and pamphlets can help the movement towards this goal. It is said that gifts of knowledge, food and blood are the greatest gifts. Blood is like an elixir. There is no substitute for that.  It has to be produced only in the human body.

In dire need, blood from one’s body is extracted to be donated to the other, only when it matches with the other person’s blood.   Therefore, blood donation is called life donation.  Every minute there is a need for blood around us.  It is not enough if we have healthy blood in our body, we need to have generous heart to donate blood. Come on, friends.  Let us all unite forgetting our caste, creed, religion, region and sex in propagating universal brotherhood and peace.  Our future lies in the peace of the world.

Dr.Muralee Mohan Choonthar
Suraksha Dental Clinic, Hosangadi

Manjeshwara – 671323 ,Kasaragoad, Kerala.
Mob. : 9845135787 Ph: 04998-273544, 235111
www.surakshadental.com   

email: drmuraleemohan@gmail.com

The post There is no substitute for blood-Donate and save life. appeared first on Health Vision.

1. The body weight of the donor must be over 45 kilogram.

2. The blood to be donated must have more than 12.5 grams of haemoglobin content.

3. Men can donate once in 3 months and women can donate once in 4 months.  Starting with the 18^th year and till the 65^th year  a man  can donate blood four times a year for a period of 47 years.  In other words  one can donate blood approximately 180 – 190 times.  Each time 350 ml blood will be taken. This means a person in one’s life time can donate  250 litre blood, and can save  500 to 600 lives.

4. At the time of donating blood the blood pressure of the donor should not be high nor low. Blood pressure should be in the range of 100 – 140 and diastolic blood pressure should be between 70 – 100.  Such persons can safely donate blood.

5. The body temperature of the donor should not be more than 37.5 degree centigrade. Donors  with fever should not donate blood. 

6. The pulse rate of the donor should be in the range of 60 – 100, and there should not be any variation in the pulse rate.

Depending on the body weight of the donor  350 – 400 ml blood will be collected.  If whole blood is to be extracted  350 ml blood will be collected in one bag.  For the purpose of separating blood for different blood cells, 450 ml blood will be collected in two bags.  The blood thus collected will be stored in special bags containing anti-clotting substance.  The blood will be examined to find out any contagious diseases such as hepatitis B and C, H I V, malaria, syphilis.  The blood will be used only when it is found safe.   If the blood contains any of the above diseases, it will not be donated.  Such blood will be sterilised scientifically.

The blood collected from the donor and ascertained safe will be refrigerated at proper temperature.  Normally whole blood and separated corpuscles are stored  at 4 – 6 degree centigrades and this can be used for a period of 32 – 42 days.  After the expiry date the blood will be sterilised scientifically. Sometimes plasma will be separated from the blood.

The separated plasma can be preserved for a year at -40 degree centigrade, and for a period of 5 to 7 years at – 80 degree centigrade.  Sometimes, the separated cryoprecipitate can be stored for a year at – 40 degree centigrade.  This is used to remediate  the ailments such as haemophilia and the problems of clotting inside the blood vessels (D.I.C.).  Sometimes platelets are separated and stored at 22 degrees centigrade for about 5 days.  These blood cells are used in the treatment of dengue, chickengunya and haemophilia patients. Platelets, however, cannot be preserved more than 5 days.

Dr.Muralee Mohan Choonthar
Suraksha Dental Clinic, Hosangadi

Manjeshwara – 671323 ,Kasaragoad, Kerala.
Mob. : 9845135787 Ph: 04998-273544, 235111
www.surakshadental.com    email: drmuraleemohan@gmail.com

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