Be noble! Donate blood

The headiest form of charity is to donate one’s blood, for there is no substitute to this creation. Adulation the receiver bestows upon the donor has no equal in this land, reports Y Maheswara Reddy.

Bengaluru: The need for blood, whether during Covid or no-Covid, is constant. Blood is crucial to help patients through surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses and serious injuries. The shortage of blood was bare minimum during pre-Covid days as there was no dearth of people wanting to voluntarily donate blood. However, people have to rush from one blood bank to the other to get blood for their relatives or family members who require blood transfusion while undergoing surgeries or for treatments these days.

While blood banks operated by Red Cross and non-governmental organisations like Lions Club and Rotary Club do all they can to supply blood to patients undergoing surgeries in government hospitals at concessional rates, private blood banks are collecting money as per their whims and fancies. For example, the government has fixed Rs 1,450 per unit of PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) blood and Rs 1,200 for platelets. Private blood banks are collecting Rs 2,000 to 2,500 per unit of blood and for platelets the price is between Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,000 depending on the bank and demand. “We charge Rs 1,950 per unit of blood. The price of blood depends on demand and supply,’’ admits a doctor of a private blood bank on the condition of anonymity.

Expressing concern over the exploitation of poor patients who need blood to undergo surgeries or treat chronic illnesseses, Indian Red Cross Society, Karnataka, Chairman S Naganna said blood business now has become a “bloody” business. “There is no control over private blood banks on collecting money to supply blood to patients. The government is to be blamed for issuing licences to private players who open blood banks for monetary benefit,’’ said Naganna.

According to him, there is a demand for 7.50 lakh units of blood per year in the state. “One per cent of the total population either in Bengaluru or across the state requires blood during medical emergencies. We used to collect 38,000 units of blood per year before the pandemic descended on us. This figure has come down to 21,000 units now,’’ he said.

Another reason for the shortage of blood at private blood banks is that most private hospitals that used to organise blood-donation camps have been converted to Covid care centres during the ongoing crisis.

Closure of educational institutions and the introduction of work from home have also contributed to the shortage. “Around 30 per cent of donors are usually college students and people working in the IT sector,’’ he said, going on to add that parents of such volunteers may be dissuading them from venturing out of their homes to donate blood due to the dreadful pandemic.

Expressing a similar opinion, Lions Blood Bank of Mahaveer Jain Hospital Coordinator Deepak Suman said that people, especially those who want to donate blood should be ready to donate blood on all days instead of donating blood on special occasions. “We used to collect between 1,500 and 2,000 units of blood per month in 2019, which has now dropped to 600-700 units per month. We are supplying blood to patients at a price even lower than that fixed by the state government,’’ he added.

A few blood banks owned by private hospitals have stopped supplying blood to outsiders. “We are just about managing to supply blood to inpatients suffering from cancer or other chronic illnesses. We do not require much blood as not many regular surgeries are being performed in our hospital. And, we have not been supplying blood to outsiders,’’ said Dr Suja Jayakumar, who works at the KIMS Hospital Blood Bank.

Dr Narasimha Swamy of Rotary-TTK Blood Bank, New Thippasandra, said that not many blood donors are coming forward to offer blood owing to the Covid-induced present situation. “Earlier, we used to conduct blood-donation drives, during which we collected 200 units a day on average. Now, only fourfive donors come forward and donate. It has become tough for us to supply blood to government hospitals due to the severe shortage,’’ he added.

How to donate blood?

You can place a request for blood, register yourself as a donor or search for a blood bank. One can also call Sankalp India Foundation on 94800 44444 for information on blood availability in all major and safe blood banks in Karnataka.

Who can give blood?

Anyone between 18 and 65 years of age enjoying normal health, having a body weight of 45 kg or more and haemoglobin count no less than 12.5 gms/hundred ml can donate without hesitation. There is no age limi