State Blood Transfusion Council Announces Blood Donation Camps from September 17 to October 1 to Address Blood Shortage
Though the authorities have been seen closely monitoring the situation, it has always been critical because of increased prevalence of vector-borne diseases and viral infections in the population. It is also disheartening that the recent blood donation campaigns failed to elicit any response from the potential donors.
On 16 September, the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) took this emergency measure to deal with the problem and issued a statewide order asking for the mobilization of blood donation camps from 17th September to 1st October to stock the fast depleting supplies of blood.
The response has been discouraging; Pune district collected only 1,354 donors in the last fortnight, which is somewhat short of expectation.
Ram Bangad, founder of the NGO Raktache Nate said there is a critical need for blood as well as platelets in most of the city’s hospitals and blood banks.
It’s not just smaller institutions but even big ones are registering severe shortages – from Sahyadri Hospital, to Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital, Sassoon General Hospital, Inlaks and Budhrani Hospital, and Aundh District Hospital.
Bangad said that the number of blood donation camps by the college was very few and that it failed to attract a good number of donors.
Most people are affected with vector-borne diseases and influenza-like infections which probably disheartened them from donating their blood.
The entire period of Pitru Paksha, where people remember their ancestors is still being followed and so the number of people visiting blood donation camps has been affected.
Despite large incentives for eligible donors to donate blood, the overall response has been less than adequate.
There are four government blood banks and 42 private blood banks in Pune district, most of which have acute deficiencies of platelets. Remaining ones are barely managing with nil stock.
The figures are as under: a healthy person has a blood platelet count between 20,000 to 450,000 per microliter of blood. A note here is that about 80-90% of Dengue patients exhibit platelet counts below 100,000 and 10 to 20% of those patients present with critically low levels of less than 20,000.
Those suffering from Dengue who develop complications, such as bleeding, often require immediate platelet transfusions, underscoring the need for urgent availability of donors.
Mahendra Kendre, assistant director, SBTC said the appeal for blood donation camps was made in pursuance of directives from the central government, which also issued a plan for conducting the same.
Kendre added that with several camps being done during Ganpati festival, this may have hurt their call for this time.
He said that blood donation is not a forced act, and the blood banks have been directed to take camps according to the actual demand of blood so that it could be saved from wastage.
District Blood Bank in-charge Dr. Nisha Teli stated the same views over this present blood and platelet scarcity. She added that demand has far outstripped the supply available in the blood bank throughout this month.
Despite such urgency, the response from donors has been minimal. According to Teli, two blood donation camps were conducted on September 23 and September 29 in which just 118 blood bags were collected.
In Pune, the current shortages require fresh efforts to enhance donor mobilization and sensitize potential donors to this essential need for donation.
Targeted campaigns might involve collaborating with local organizations, hospitals, and community leaders to create public awareness about the need to donate blood as more and more patients require transfusions due to various health conditions.
Also, community outreach programs might contribute to motivation in participation in blood donation drives.
Educational seminars, a social media campaign, and partnerships with schools and business organizations would really help create a culture of giving. Stories of those who have been saved because of blood donations can really motivate possible donors.
Dispelling of myths or fear is also very essential. Clarity over the process, safety, and impact on a patient’s life after donation goes a long way in dispelling such fears and makes more people come forward.
Building a culture around donating blood and making it visible and meaningful could help Pune move toward the crisis its hospitals and blood banks are currently facing to ensure adequate stocks for patients.
Conclusion :
As explained above, the acute shortage of blood and platelets in Pune has, therefore, become a matter requiring urgent attention. It has proved insufficient to respond to recent blood donation drives; it particularly needed an effective outreach and education strategy for it.
Meanwhile, with the increase in demand and inability of hospitals and blood banks to meet their demands, community cooperation and greater awareness are therefore crucial in the bid to restore adequate blood supplies and save lives.
Collective action can address this pressing challenge to actively promulgate a more robust culture of blood donation in the city.
Top Foods to Boost Your Hemoglobin Levels :
Beetroot :
All these shall complement each other to enhance the increase in hemoglobin as well as the production of new red blood cells. Serve it raw, in salads, sauté as a side dish, or even blend it with some refreshing juice.
Moringa Leaves :
The other nutritious source is the Moringa tree leaves, which are rich in minerals such as zinc, iron, copper, and magnesium and also rich in vitamins A, B, and C. Mix a handful of chopped up moringa leaves with a teaspoon of jaggery powder to make a paste to prepare a nourishing mixture.
This paste should be applied daily with your breakfast so that it may raise the level of hemoglobin and stimulate red blood-cell production.
Green leafy vegetables :
To increase the dietary level of hemoglobin in your diet, you should consume more green leafy vegetables. Popular ones are spinach, mustard, celery, and broccoli. These all are very good for a vegetarian diet.
Spinach should always be cooked as some of its components, known as oxalic acids, can inhibit iron intake from other food products. Vitamin B12 and folic acid occur naturally with a high proportion from this leafy green.
Besides other hundreds of important nutrients like magnesium and vitamins A and C, broccoli is also rich in iron and folic acid.
Green vegetables are also very low-calorie food as well as have a very high dietary fiber to help with the loss of pounds and digest food. Adding such vegetables in the routine diet will boost up the nutrition a lot.
Dates, Raisins, and Figs :
There is a combination of tastes that can boost the level of hemoglobin quite nicely-it is dates, raisins, and figs. Dates and raisins contain high content of iron and vitamin C. Figs are rich in iron, magnesium, vitamin A, and folate.
Their consumption as a handful of dried figs and raisins, with two or three dates in the morning, can give immediate energy and improve hemoglobin. You can drink fig milk a few times in a week in the evening, but someone who has diabetes should eat these dry fruits only occasionally.
Black Sesame Seeds :
Put black sesame seeds into your list since they are one of the best ways to get all that iron. As you can see, they contain iron, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, selenium, and vitamins B6 and E. To get the maximum benefits out of the seeds, soak them in water overnight and consume them next morning.
Black sesame seeds can be mixed up with one teaspoon of honey and then rolled into small balls. Ladoos so prepared are highly nutritional. Intake of those ladoos regularly will add up quite a lot to your iron level. Sesame seeds can be placed on top of various cereals, oatmeal, yogurt, or fruit salads. In this way, those dishes are enriched with nutrients.