‘World Red Cross Day’ – 8th May: Noblest way to save life is to keep body fit and donate blood after every 3 months
‘World Red Cross Day’ – 8th May
Noblest way to save life is to keep body fit and donate blood after every 3 months
Brig K.G. BEHL (Retd )
Vice-President Indology Foundation,Uttarakhand
They say,’ Noblest way to save life is to keep the body healthy and donate blood after every three months as during the period the body recoups the required quantity of blood and it can again be donated without any ill effects to the body. Only healthy persons below the age of 65 years of age are allowed to donate blood’. However persons above this age can also donate blood if they are found healthy and fit.
Only 1% of the population donates blood where as the minimum requirement is 3%. Let more young healthy persons come forward to cover the gap and save lives. Don’t sell blood at any cost but save some one’s life, by donating it. It is learnt that some persons, even when they are not healthy, sell their blood to private blood banks / hospitals in lieu of which they get some money. It is an unhealthy and wrong practice and needs to be stopped forthwith by the Govt.
Blood cannot be stored as such but has to be transformed into its components. IMA Blood Bank transforms it into 100% Blood Components. The rationale behind making 100% components is that firstly it is a scientifically appropriate therapy, secondly different components require different storage conditions and thirdly more than one patient can benefit from a single donation leading to optimization of a scarce resource. Other than red cells, the IMA blood bank provides platelets and fresh frozen plasma and specialized products like Pediatric units and exchange transfusion products etc.
There are many blood banks but the IMA blood bank there is a high degree of automation in the form of robotic machines, barcodes and ERP software to bring a precision and quality.
Red Cross is an International Society for providing relief to those who suffer, in time of Wars, Natural or created Disasters or any other emergency caused by accidents. It was founded in 1863 at Geneva, Switzerland and has since then spread all over the World and is known for its humanitarian approach and neutrality in treating persons wounded in war or other similar disasters/accidents.
The main aim of Red Cross Society is to save life and provide immediate relief to wounded persons and remove them to safer places for further treatment. The love and care with which the Red Cross Society treats the patients is exceptional and unparalleled as it is done during the time when the atrocities are at the maximum and one had to work without caring for one’s own life.
The most life saving device is the provision of Blood, which is invariably required for transfusion to the injured person who has already lost it in accidental injury. The blood cannot be synthesized and its only source is blood donation by human beings. As you all know, blood appears red and of the same colour in all human beings but actually it has a variety of gradations and may contain certain diseases or may be of HIV and AIDS epidemics. As such a donor’s blood is tested to find the blood group type and is screened for infections like HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and malaria. The blood as taken from a donor cannot be transfused directly in to receiver as it has to be classified as it is hygienically not correct to do so. Though, in movies, some times, they show the blood being taken out from one person and simultaneously transfused to other but it is banned now as we are not aware about its components. Fresh blood be taken from the blood banks for transfusion and blood donated be give to the bank.
The IMA blood bank is committed to needy and poor patients. Blood components are given free to ‘Below Poverty Line (BPL) card holders admitted to Govt. hospitals. It contributes more than 60% of the total voluntary blood supply in the State of Uttarakhand. The thalassaemic and haemophilliac patients need regular supply of blood for their very survival.
It is learnt that at some places even blood of inferior type is being supplied to patients in emergency and in connivance with some staff of the hospital are playing with the lives of the people, thinking that they are unlikely to survive to tell what has really been supplied. Such crimes are being committed to kill people instead of saving them. It is against the spirit behind the Red Cross Movement to save life.
On this World Red Cross Day let all those who are capable of donating blood should come forward and donate blood to save life of others, as their humble contribution.
