Around the world, people celebrate the World Blood Donor Day on June 14. The day is celebrated to remember Dr Karl Landsteiner, who was born on June 14.
The only and the best answer of the question like why we will remember Dr. Landsteiner , is in 1901 “A” “B” “O” blood groups were discovered by him. For which in 1930 he got the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovery of ABO grouping system. To remember Dr Landsteiner as well as to give importance to the blood donors, the World Blood Donor Day was first started in the year 2004.
This year’s theme is “Safe Blood for All”. Till today we are not able to provide safe blood to all. We can provide the safe blood for all when we are able to collect safe blood. The methods of collection of blood are three types like voluntary basis, exchange basis and receiving blood from paid donors. Collections of blood from paid donor s are abolished. We can get the safe blood only from the voluntary blood donation basis.
To increase voluntary blood collection, the Government had taken many steps. On a public Interest litigation, the Supreme Court directed the Union Government on January 4, 1996 to abolish buying blood from sellers known as paid donor with effect from January 1, 1998 and asked the Government to constitute the National and State Blood Transfusion Councils to promote voluntary blood donation. The National AIDS Control Organisation established in 1992 under its Blood Safety Programme has been supporting voluntary blood donation of the country. After that Indian Red Cross Society has also a measure role in voluntary blood collection. The life members, Youth Red Cross members and also youth and junior Red Cross councilors are the major source of voluntary blood collection.
In Odisha, we are able to collect nearly seventy per cent of blood through voluntary collection of blood. Another 30 per cent of blood, we are collecting from exchange donors. Till date we cannot achieve the 100 per cent target of voluntary collection. So cent per cent safe blood for our State is a dream. We have to analyze the reason behind this. The above organisations are the societies, not the Government organisations. The society means member based or public dominated organisations. When the Government organisations are adopting the method of “work through PPP mood”, at the same time the NGOs are working in the style of Government machinery.
If the societies adopt a public-friendly or member-friendly system of work then we can collect blood 100 per cent on voluntary basis. So, we will be able to provide safe blood for all.
(The writer is founder-president, Odisha Voluntary Blood Donors’ and Motivators’ Association, A/E-192, VSS Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Phone: 9938537600)