Voluntary blood donation is not only a benevolent act, it prevents heart disease and helps the donor maintain a balanced BP level, said the Head of KIMS Bhubaneswar’s Blood Centre Dr Sukanta Tripathy.
On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, Dr Tripathy made a vociferous appeal to the citizens to come forward in the novel act as there is a pressing need to increase the voluntary donor base in Odisha. “Even if only one per cent of the population donates, there will be no scarcity for blood,” he underlined.
Dr Tripathy said that during 2021, 66.76 per cent of units collected in Odisha were through voluntary donation. During the year, the total collection stood at 4,87,022 units out of which 3,25,139 units were donated by voluntary donors and the rest by replacement donors.
“We need to create greater awareness among the people to come in more numbers and voluntarily donate blood to meet the increasing demand. This act of charity will not only give you a sense of pride and encourage others, but also help you maintain a healthy life free from disease,” Dr Tripathy said.
Regular blood donation is linked to lower risk of heart attack, maintaining normal blood pressure and iron level. A donor can also keep the cholesterol level under check. And above all, the donor also gets the benefit of free check-up before blood donation, the doctor said while listing out the advantages of blood donation.
June 14 is observed as ‘Blood Donor Day’ across the world to raise awareness about safe blood and blood products for transfusion. The day also reminds all the stakeholders of the need to strengthen and expand voluntary blood donation programmes, besides highlighting the critical contribution of voluntary donation.
This year, the Day assumes significance as it comes in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic. The blood donation campaign took a serious hit during the pandemic years. One of the objectives of the Day this time is to infuse vitality into the movement.
The KIMS Blood Centre, rechristened as the Department of Transfusion Medicine began operation in 2006. In 2020, it got the nod to operate the Apheresis machine. The machine separates blood received by the donor into its various components such as plasma, platelets, white blood cells and red blood cells.
The yield through apheresis is more and equal to six donors, Dr Tripathy said, adding that the Department is going through infrastructure augmentation to meet the demands of the KIMS Hospital. The Department also caters to the requirement of hospitals and health care centres in North Bhubaneswar and adjoining areas.