Time to donate blood is now!

BLURB: The value of life is not in its duration but in its donation. One is not important because of how long one lives, one is important because of how effective one lives Every year June 14 is celebrated as “World Blood Donor Day”, on the occasion of birthday anniversary of Karl Landsteiner.

This event celebration was first started in the 2004 to raise public awareness about the need for blood donation voluntarily and unpaid by the healthy person.

This campaign saves more than millions of lives annually and gives a natural smile on the face of the blood receivers. Blood transfusion helps patients suffering from variety of life-threatening health conditions and stimulates them to live longer and quality life.

It solves lots of complex medical and surgical procedures all around the world. This campaign plays a great life-saving role for caring the women during pre and post pregnancy.

Donated blood is used to save lives of severely anemic women and kids, accident victims, surgical patients, cancer patients, thalassemia patients, hemophilic patients, sickle cell anemia, blood disorders, blood clotting disorders and many more.

Places devoid of an adequate blood supply face many life-threatening challenges during the arrangement of sufficient blood for the proper donation. Adequate supply of blood and its products can only be fulfilled by the regular and safe donations by the self motivated, voluntary and unpaid blood donors.

Some of the objectives of the World Blood Donor Day celebration are:

• WHO aims to obtain sufficient blood supplies from the voluntary and unpaid blood donors all over the world by 2020.
• According to the statistics, it has been noted that only 62 countries are getting sufficient blood supplies from unpaid and voluntary blood donors whereas 40 countries are still dependent for the blood donations on the patient’s family member or paid donors. It is celebrated to motivate voluntary blood donors in rest of the countries worldwide.
• To make blood donation act a precious gift to the receivers and get new life.
• WHO runs this campaign by organizing many activities in all countries highlighting people’s stories who need immediate blood donation to continue their heart beat.
• It is celebrated to thank to the voluntary and unpaid blood donors all around the world for saving millions of lives.
• It is celebrated to fulfill the 100% voluntary and unpaid blood donation need worldwide.
• It is celebrated to motivate blood donors for safe blood donation for saving the life of mothers and babies.
• It is celebrated to reduce the mortality rate because of insufficient blood supply.
• To motivate voluntary blood donors through educational programmes and campaigns in order to strengthen the blood transfusion services.

This year’s campaign focussed on blood donation in emergencies. In crisis or emergency, the natural human response is “What can I do? How can I help?” Therefore the slogan for the 2017 campaign is: what can you do? With the secondary message: “Give blood. Give now. Give often”(The writer is Blood Bank Medical Officer, KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad.)

By Dr Ravi Chandra M