Donate blood, save up to four lives
India faces shortage of 10 million units of blood every year
Hyderabad: While one cannot be God, everyone can be a saviour. You do not have to perform any extraordinary feats for this label. Just donating some blood is enough as it is the lifeline of every human being — and it is in short supply, especially in India.
With a population of more than 140 crore, India needs 1.46 crore units of blood every year. However, it faces a shortfall of 10 lakh units of blood annually, during during childbirth, accidents, surgeries and chronic illnesses such as Thalassemia.
Telangana, on the other hand, faces a shortage of 93,000 units of blood as 3.07 lakh units are available as against the demand for nearly 4 lakh units.
There are several factors which contribute to India’s blood shortage.
On the eve of the World Blood Donor Day, which falls on June 14, Deccan Chronicle reached out to experts to bust this myth that blood donation can lead to weakness.
According to medical experts, an average human body contains about five litres of blood and any person aged between 18 and 65 — weighing at least 45 kgs and having a fit and healthy body — can donate one unit of blood every three months.
One unit or 450 millilitres of blood can save up to four lives, depending on the components extracted.
Blood is composed of cellular and non-cellular components like red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Each component has unique properties and uses. Donated blood is separated into these components at blood centres.
According to data available on November 30, 2023, India has 4,153 licensed blood banks, while Telangana has 287 — 62 government-run and 225 privately managed.
“A majority of the blood units are used for cardiology-related surgeries and for treating road accidents. All positive blood groups are easily available at the blood banks but negative groups are hard to come by and ‘Bombay blood group’ is scarce. We are going to colleges to set up blood donation camps and spread awareness among the youth,” said an official of NTR Memorial Trust Blood Centre, who prefers not be quoted.
As the World Health Organisation (WHO) is celebrating the 20th anniversary of blood donation day, Revanth Kumar, a student pursuing his studies in agriculture, said: “I donated blood for the first time in January this year. It only took just 10 minutes for the donation and I am happy to say that my blood is useful for saving a human life, I will soon donate again."