Blood is vital to life, or we can say Blood is life. Till today, neither blood is invented nor is any medicine invented to substitute the blood. To save a life someone has to donate blood voluntarily. Blood is only manufactured in human body. Blood donation is more important than eye donation and body donation. We can donate eye or body after death, but blood can be donated only before death. In case of blood donation, the donor can feel that he is a ‘blood donor’ which is not possible in other donations.
Why should one donate bloodIJ When the donor feels that he or she has excess blood in his or her body above the requirement then he or she would agree to donate it. The quantity of blood in human body depends on the bodyweight. One should know that the total quantity of blood in an adult male is 76 millilitre per kilogram of his bodyweight, and in case of an adult female it is 66 millilitre per kg. But the actual requirement of blood in a human body being 50 millilitre per kg of bodyweight, the rest 26/16 millilitre per kg is of no use. We donate this excess blood to save others’ life as well as to keep our life healthy. If we are eligible, it is better to donate blood regularly; for a male four times and for a female two times in a year.
If someone wants to donate blood then where should he or she do it and to whom he or she has to contact to organise a voluntary blood donation campIJ The donor should have the first preference to donate blood in voluntary blood donation camps. The Red Cross and the Government Blood Banks are eligible to collect blood from a voluntary blood donation camp. If it is not possible, one can donate blood in the same blood banks. In Odisha, there are nearly 60 Red Cross and Government Blood Banks in different districts. In these blood banks, doctors and trained technicians are engaged to collect blood. To organise voluntary blood donation camps and donate blood, we can contact the Indian Red Cross Society, Odisha State Branch and its different district branches, the State Blood Transfusion Council, the State AIDS Control Society and also the Blood Donors’ and Motivators’ Association, etc. Some trained blood donors and motivators are also with us to help organise voluntary blood donation camps.
The percentage of voluntary blood donation in our State is below 20. We have only been motivating people to donate blood, but it is now time to donate safe blood. Hepatitis, syphilis, malaria and HIV are the main transfusion transmissible infections which may pass through transfusion of blood and blood components from donor to the recipient. In the blood banks, there are post-donation tests of HIV, HBV, HCV and VDRl MP Tests. We should not depend on the post-donation tests. To donate safe blood, we should be very much cautious. We should see that the donor should be within the age group of 18 to 60 years; he or she should be more than 45 kg of bodyweight; should not be a drug addict; should not be suffering from any type of blood-infected disease; and in case of female donor she should not be pregnant; should not be breastfeeding her child; and should not be at monthly period time. A female can donate blood after six months from abortion and previous blood donation; a male can donate blood after three months from his earlier donation; one can donate blood after six months from receipt of blood. Some can donate blood after 12 months of operation, three months from malaria; after 15 days from vaccination; 12 months from typhoid and dog bite. The donor should not be in full stomach of food or in empty stomach. These are certain principles for donation of safe blood.
In our State, we cannot collect 100 per cent blood from voluntary camps. Now, we are getting nearly 70 per cent from voluntary sources. The other 30 per cent of blood we are collecting from the donors’ friends and relatives by way of exchange donation. The exchange donation is not safe at all. So, it is high time to collect blood from voluntary donation camps. It is the duty of the donor and the motivator to straighten the blood banks.
(The writer is founder-president, Odisha Voluntary Blood Donors’ and Motivators’ Association. Ph.(M)9938537600