NEW DELHI: The recent Mumbai bomb blasts found the city's blood banks severely short of supply. But according to medical officers, with hundreds of people coming forward voluntarily to donate blood the deficit was made up quickly.

Now experts in the area point to the fact that Delhi despite being a "high-threat zone" is unprepared for any major casualty, with the health care system here struggling against the deficit of blood of over 2 lakh units each year between supply and demand.

Delhi needs about 5 lakh units of blood every year whereas the collection is slightly under 3 lakh units. Of this, only 26 per cent is through voluntary blood donations, a meagre 77,000 units every year. There is never enough safe blood for patients and people have to struggle to find friends and relatives to donate blood to save the lives of their dear ones.

The stress is felt more in large metros because of the huge number of patients coming to the city for super speciality tertiary care treatment from neighbouring cities, towns and villages.

"It is important to donate blood as it has no substitute, it cannot be manufactured synthetically and is required round the clock to save human lives. The approximate annual requirement for Delhi is 5 lakh units and blood from paid donors is often unhealthy and risky,'' says the Chairman of the Rotary Blood Bank, O. P. Vaish.

Blood can be donated safely every 90 days and each unit of blood gets replaced naturally within a few weeks. There is no weakness after blood donation. Donating blood lowers the risk of heart ailments and hypertension (high blood pressure) in regular blood donors. Also regular blood donation betters the capability of the body to cope with stress. Regular blood donation stimulates the body to produce fresh and younger blood cells.

Blood donors receive a donor card with the blood group identified, valid for one year, which entitles them to avail of one unit of blood for self and family listed on the card. Anyone between the ages of 18-60 years, over 45 kg of weight and healthy haemoglobin can donate blood.

"India needs many more blood donors. Only 24 per cent of the 90-lakh units of blood that the country needs annually are met through voluntary donations. On any given day an average of 35,000 units of blood is needed to save precious human lives from accidents, burns, heart surgery, organ transplants and patients receiving treatment for leukaemia, haemophilia, cancer and other diseases.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail