IPH minister Ravinder Ravi launches fortnight long blood donation cum awareness drive on National Voluntary blood Donation Day at Palampur
An awareness workshop was observed to mark National Voluantry blood donation day 2009 at Civil Hospital Palampur. The Chief Guest Sh Ravinder Ravi IPH minister inaugurating a fortnight long blood donation cum awareness drive told that the proportion of voluntary donation in the State increased from 69% in 2006-07 to 81% in 2008-09. West Bengal and Maharashtra have achieved 85% voluntary blood donation, Hill states like Tripura have achieved 93% voluntary donation, Chennai MACS and Daman and Diu have achieved 95% voluntary donation level whereas Dadra and Nagar Haveli have achieved the WHO target of 100% voluntary blood donation.
He added that Himachal is a leader in health and has won seven awards in India Today conclave. He also told that 150 advanced ambulances equipped with emergency life support systems will be placed into services soon for further improving the responsiveness of the health system. He appealed to all citizens, and educational institutions to come forward and adopt voluntary blood donation as a mass movement and make Himachal a model state.
Capt Atma Ram MLA Rajgir thanked all donors and exhorted others to follow their example. He added that there is no substitute for blood and blood components, so without blood many patients would die. Any healthy person between the age of 18-60 years and having body weight of more than 45 Kg who has not donated blood in the last three months can donate blood. Blood volume returns to normal level within 48 hours after blood donation. Usually not more than 350 ml of blood is collected in one donation. This is roughly less than 7% of the total blood volume in an average healthy person.
RK Sood, District AIDS Programme Officer, Kangra addressing the audience told that Blood Safety Programme of the National AIDS control Programme aims at ensuring access to safe blood and blood products to all. Voluntary donation is the considered to be safest form of the blood donation and thus systematically promoted through blood safety programme. Many simply do not know about the need for blood. There is a common blood groups are easily available but it is an irony that the common groups are the ones which are most commonly needed. We may all one day need treatment by blood, but only one percent of the world’s population gives blood. So we need many more donors, if all patients shall be guaranteed proper treatment with safe blood.
On the occasion, Dr Anil Mahajan CMO Kangra, addressing the gathering told that any healthy person from the age of 18-60 can be donor. He added that people are afraid to donate blood due to fears of weakness, or ignorance about the need of blood, consequently there is always a shortage of blood. The total annual requirement of blood in India is 1crore units of blood while the total collection is about 65 lakhs units. As per NACO CMIS report, 12,720 units of blood were donated in HP in 2008-09. In Himachal only 0.2% people donate Blood which is not sufficient to meet the demand of 60,000 units. This lower than 0.4% in India whereas in countries like Switzerland 11.3% persons donate blood, followed by 7% in Japan & 5.8% in Australia. An awareness rally procession on was taken out by health workers in Palampur market. Dr Vinay Mahajan, Blood Bank Officer Palampur told that Blood donation camp was organised with NIIT Palampur, and further camps are being planned for the fortnight.