The provision of blood has always been an important aspect of healthcare. A well functioning blood system should be an absolutely necessity and top priority of the healthcare policy. Safe blood is critical both for treatments and urgent interventions. It can help patients suffering from life threatening conditions live longer and with a higher quality of life and supports complex medical and surgical procedures. Blood is also a vital for treating the wounded during emergencies of all kinds and has an essential, life saving role in maternal and neonatal care. But access to safe blood is still a privilege of the few. Most low and middle income countries still struggle to make safe blood available because donations are low and equipment to test blood is scarce. Globally, 42% of blood is collected in high income countries, which are home to only 16% of the world’s population.
INDIA NEEDS MORE ‘SAFE BLOOD’
India has always been home to natural disasters and communicable diseases, which demands the inflow of the vital fluid on the regular basis. However, a global study published that India has the largest absolute shortage of blood units among all the countries in the world. The study reveals a staggering shortage of almost 41 million units in 2017. This existing shortage is exacerbated by the fact that almost 10-11% of collected blood is wasted each year in the country. This means India has cumulatively wasted over 3.4 million blood units from 2014 to 2017. Besides adequacy, the safety of blood is yet another matter of concern. As per the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), over 1342 people across India have contracted the HIV infection from contaminated blood transfusions during 2018-19. The data reveals that over 7218 people have contracted HIV through the blood transfusion route over the last five years. The data which opens up serious safety and quality concerns underline the fact that zero risk blood supply is still a distant reality in the country.
For quality, safety and efficacy of blood and blood products, well equipped blood centers with adequate infrastructure and trained manpower is an essential requirement. However, there is a sizable shortage of trained healthcare professionals in the field of transfusion medicine throughout the country. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had long before formulated a National Blood Policy with an aim to ensure easily accessible and adequate supply of safe and quality blood and blood components procured from a voluntary non-equipped premises, which is free from transfusion transmitted infections and is stored an transported under optimum conditions.
BLOOD DONATION IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC
The COVID-19 outbreak has caused unprecedented challenges to the blood bank supply. The lockdown period has witnessed a drastic decline in the number of blood donors. According to the Indian Red Cross Society’s weekly updates as of June 4, blood units collected were less than a hundred while the demand exceeded almost two times the available units. Blood Banks all over the world are dependent on voluntary blood donation from healthy individuals to make their blood supplies. Since there continues to be a demand for blood and blood components, especially for those patients depending on blood transfusions as a life saving measure, like Thalassemics, or to mitigate blood loss in accident victims, pregnant women and critically ill patients, supplies of safe blood must continue to be maintained at blood banks throughout the country. Activities and actions plans for blood collection and voluntary blood donation, therefore, are required to be continued judiciously even during this period to meet the blood requirement of the nation.
Healthcare workers, all around the globe have a major role to play in ensuring a safe and adequate supply of blood in hospitals and blood centers. Let’s call on more people all over the world to become lifesavers by volunteering to donate blood on regular basis.
FOCUS OF 2021 CAMPAIGN
For 2021, the World Blood Donor Day slogan will be “Give blood and keep the world beating”. The message highlights the essential contribution blood donors make to keeping the world pulsating by saving lives and improving others’ health. It reinforces the global call for more people all over the world to donate blood regularly and contribute to better health. A special focus of this year’s campaign will be the role of young people in ensuring a safe blood supply. In many countries, young people have been at the forefront of activities and initiatives aimed at achieving safe blood supplies through voluntary, non remunerated blood donations. Young people from a large sector of the population in many societies and are generally full of idealism, enthusiasm and creativity.
Track2Training 