More than 12,000 patients die every day due to paucity of blood in India: Dr. Manjunath Doshetty
KALABURAGI; Noted Nephrologist and Director of the Chirayu Hospital Dr Manjunath Doshetty has said that more than 12,000 patients die every day due to paucity of blood in emergencies and there was a huge gap between the demand and supply of blood in the blood banks and hospitals in the country.
Delivering an awareness lecture on blood donation to commemorate the World Blood Donors Day -2024 at Doddappa Appa Auditorium in the main campus of the Sharnbasva University in Kalaburagi city on Tuesday, Dr Doshetty said that the severe shortage of the blood to save lives during emergencies in the hospitals was one of the major health issues in the country and as against the demand of 1.46 Crore unit of blood every day the availability of blood was only 1.25 Crore unit in the blood banks and hospitals resulting in a shortfall of nearly 19 lakh units of blood every day.
Dr Doshetty said that one of the major problems faced by the health care professionals in getting the required blood in time was the lack of awareness and myths surrounding the blood donation and according to one estimate 90 per cent of the eligible persons do not donate blood. He said except for those suffering from serious illness like Cancer, those who have undergone surgeries in the past six months, having uncontrolled high blood pressure and those diabetes patients who require insulin were not eligible for donating the blood and others including those with the controlled BP and diabetes can donate blood.
He said that those donating the blood can reduced the cholesterol and reduces chances of cardiac arrest and stroke and achieves short term calorie expenditure and long term weight reduction. The donors also are subjected to free overall medical checkup before drawing the blood. All the healthy persons can donate the blood and only the Red Blood Corpuscles (RBC), an important component of the blood take three weeks time to recover to normal levels and all other components including White Blood Corpuscles and platelets take few hours to recover to the original levels.
Dr Doshetty said while every healthy individual can donate the blood once in three months regularly, the individuals with rare blood groups should avoid donating their blood in the blood donation camps and register their names in the blood centres and hospitals for donating the blood on demand during medical emergencies of others with the same rare blood group.
The Sharnbasva University and the Jeevan Aadhaar Blood Centre of the Chirayu Hospital are jointly organizing a blood donation camp in the University campus on Wednesday.