JOIN USThough the practice of voluntary blood donation has gained ground in India in recent years, it is yet to become a movement and the supply is much less than the demand. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has prescribed that every country should keep in reserve at least 1% more than its blood requirement but in India there is a short supply of about 25%. The deficit increases during certain months of the year. With a large and increasing population, the need for blood donations keeps increasing but the supply does not keep pace with the demand. The practice of voluntary and unpaid donations for community blood stocks is strong in many countries. But in India, donations are usually limited to the needs of family members or friends. The common idea is that donations have to be made only in emergency situations. But there is such a situation every moment of the day and this is not widely realised.
There are many wrong preconceptions and cultural inhibitions about donation of blood. The notion that blood is a part of the life force which gets diminished with donations is strong. The number of women donors is much less than that of men. In some countries like the USA, there are more women donors than men. The fact is that donating blood at regular intervals is good for the health of a donor. The government, medical associations and non-government organisations working in the area have tried to remove the misconceptions through campaigns but much more needs to be done to make people aware of the need for voluntary donations. There are wide geographical disparities also. States like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and West Bengal have done better than other states. The idea of blood donation has hardly reached villages or small towns. The shortage of blood has given rise to malpractices and a thriving black market. It is clear that these bad practices are resorted to with the knowledge and connivance of elements in hospitals and blood banks. Facilities are also inadequate. There are blood banks both in the government and the private sectors but many more are needed. There are frequent charges of wrong and even unsafe practices in situations of shortage.
Wrong procedures and mistakes in transfusion create bad publicity and do harm to the cause of blood donation. Campaigns and awareness programmes should go beyond the celebration of the World Blood Donor day every year. A bottle of blood can save a life, and as the WHO’s theme for the day this year says, blood connects us all.