The medical world says that every two seconds someone somewhere needs blood. But despite the development of the medical field, even now many patients die due to lack of blood supply. The reason for this is lack of awareness among people about blood donation.
Therefore, World Blood Donor Day is observed on June 14 every year to emphasize and promote the importance of blood donation. A. Madana Gopal Rao, Chairman of Lions Blood Bank, which has been operating for 38 years, shared with us:
What is blood donation?
In today’s era, the advancement of science has brought in the advanced technologies and many new treatment methods in the medical world. For example, even all parts of one’s body can be replaced or artificial organs can be prepared and implanted. But blood is the only substance that no science has yet been able to discover or produce. Blood is a substance that cannot be replaced by human power. Blood is the lifeblood of man. In this case, a person suffering from an accident or disease needs the blood of others to revive and live. At this stage, blood donation is the act of donating the blood flowing in one’s body to another person.
About blood bank..
35 years ago, when common people needed money, they went to the hospital, donated blood and received money in exchange. Also, due to lack of blood, many heart surgeries were postponed. It was in this context that Rabindranath, a doctor, started this blood bank with the aim of serving the people considering the necessity and necessity of blood. Mother Teresa started it.
As far as the blood bank is concerned, we conduct blood donation drives once a month. Especially, we conduct these moogams only in colleges and corporate institutions. Before Corona period, we used to donate up to three thousand units of blood per month and distributed it to around 500-600 hospitals. After Corona, people are very reluctant to donate blood. Thus, nowadays only 1000 – 1500 units of blood can be collected per month.
Functions of Blood Bank:
26 types of tests are conducted after receiving the donated blood from a person. For example, tests like HIV, Jaundice etc. will be done. Only if everything is OK in the tests can the blood be taken and then we separate the blood into three parts. In other words, we separate red blood cells, platelets and plasma and give them to whoever needs them, so that the blood donated by one person reaches three people. In the above tests, meanwhile, if there is any problem with one’s blood, his blood will be rejected. Also, we will call the blood donor and ask them to consult a doctor and get tested.
Similarly, after dividing the blood from a person into three parts, the red blood cells can be processed only for 30 days. Platelets can be preserved for at least 6 days. Plasma alone can be preserved for up to one year. Therefore, the blood cannot be stored in large quantities. So, we collect only the required quantity.
If there is such an urgent need, we call the donor and get it from him. Even if a person donates blood for free, it costs a minimum of Rs 400 for the needle, tube, collection bag, and around Rs 2400 for the 26 types of tests conducted after the blood collection.
Who can donate blood:
Not everyone can donate blood. Many rules are followed for donating blood. That is, the age of the blood donor should be between 18 to 60. Weight should be more than 45 kg. Blood pressure and body temperature should be normal. Normally, each person has 5 to 6 liters of blood in their body. Of this, only 350 ml will be taken during donation. This blood will be produced again in his body within 48 hours. Thus, within 2 months, the number of red blood cells comes to the correct level. Thus, one can donate blood once in three months.
Dos and Don’ts of Blood Donors..
As already mentioned above, a person who wants to donate blood should be between 18 to 65 years of age and should weigh at least 45 – 50 kg. Otherwise, you may feel weak and dizzy while donating blood. The most important condition for donating blood is that one should not have smoked cigarettes for 2 hours before donating blood and should not have consumed alcohol for about 24 hours before. People who do not smoke or drink alcohol are the best people to donate blood.
One should not starve before donating blood. Before donating blood, it is important to eat something on an empty stomach. And it is better if you sleep up to 8 hours at night. Before donating blood, a person’s blood pressure is measured and at the same time the hemoglobin in the blood is also checked. Blood donors should have hemoglobin count up to 12.5g/dL.
After donating blood, rest for about 10 minutes. Get out of bed only after checking with the doctor. Drink healthy drinks like fresh juice after donating blood Avoid exercising on the day of donating blood.
Increasing demand: Around 9.2 million people donate blood annually in the world. More than 40 percent of people donate blood in 25 countries. However, the percentage of blood donors in developing countries is low (only 10 per 1000 people). So, let’s all volunteer to donate blood.