Celebrating World Blood Donor Day

Prof. (Dr.) Dharmakanta Kumbhakar

(drkdharmakanta1@gmail.com)

Following the overwhelming success of World Health Day 2000, which was devoted to the theme ‘Blood Saves Lives; Safe Blood Starts with Me’, the World Health Organization declared June 14 as World Blood Donor Day. The flagship event was organized in 2004 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The motto of World Blood Donor Day is ‘celebrating the gift of blood’. The day of June 14 also commemorates the birth day of great scientist Karl Landsteiner (June 14, 1868), who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his seminal discovery of the ABO blood group system, which is still used today to ensure the safety of blood transfusions.

Every year, on June 14, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day. Many events are held around the world on June 14 to mark World Blood Donor Day. These include football games, rallies, seminars, mobile blood donation clinics, etc. The event celebrated globally every year serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products for transfusion, highlight the importance of blood donation, and thank millions of voluntary, unpaid blood donors worldwide for their life-saving gifts of blood.

Transfusion of safe blood or blood components helps save millions of lives every year. It can help patients suffering from life-threating conditions live a longer and higher quality of life and support complex medical and surgical procedures. It also has an essential, life-saving role in maternal and perinatal care.

The quantity and quality of blood pools available for transfusions are still major concerns across the globe, especially in developing countries. In many countries like India, there isn’t an adequate supply of safe blood. Safe blood is constantly in high demand, and blood services face the challenge of making sufficient blood available while also ensuring its quality and safety. In spite of the rapid and remarkable conquests of medical science today, there is no factory that manufactures blood. It is only in human beings that human blood is made and circulated. For those who require blood to save their lives, sharing from other fellows is the only means. Hence, blood donation—or rather, regular voluntary blood donation—is the only way of accumulating blood in safe storage to meet emergency requirements for saving lives. An adequate supply can only be assured through regular donations by voluntary, unpaid blood donors.

World Blood Donor Day is dedicated to ‘thanking and celebrating voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors. But according to me, words of acknowledgement of gratitude, respect, or admiration spoken on a single day are unlikely to reach them. The real tribute to the voluntary blood donors is to “respect and deliver upon the intent, expectation, and take-back of their act of donation.” For the recruitment and retention of voluntary blood donors, which is a major component of voluntary blood donation drives, the government, NGOs, and blood bank staff must always pay tribute to them.

The blood banks and the individuals keen on paying tribute to voluntary blood donors must strive towards ensuring no patient is made to go searching for blood. They must organise sufficient blood donation camps and maintain stocks of ready-to-use, tested components. Rational use and preventing waste show respect for every unit of blood donated by a voluntary blood donor. When voluntary donors resolve to donate blood, the least they deserve is a safe, convenient, and cordial environment to donate in. The core responsibility of blood banking is to ensure 100 percent compliance with any and every procedure relating to the safety and well-being of the donor. A scientifically guided donor selection procedure is essential. Blood donors do not expect to bear undue pain and adverse reactions. Only well-trained and professionally competent medical personnel should interact with and handle blood donations. There is no better tribute than a relentless commitment to the donor’s safety and well-being. The need for sensitivity towards a donor’s time is extremely important. Habitual lateness and a tendency to leave early from blood donation drives are major put-offs. Any blood bank that invites people for in-house donations must understand that the donor loses time off work. Making the donor wait for hours to donate blood ensures that they will never want to come again. Planning the blood bank’s working timing for blood collection to align with holidays and late evenings or early mornings enables donors to enthusiastically participate. The setup of the blood bank or camp should be clean, hygienic, and inviting. The blood collection room should be furnished to create a positive ambiance. The government and NGOs must acknowledge their acts and appreciate them. Regular voluntary donors and motivators should be given prizes as a tribute, which will inspire them to participate in a voluntary blood donation drive. The government should take the initiative for this noble cause.

The celebration of World Blood Donor Day also focuses on motivating more people to donate blood and the need to clear misconceptions about blood donations. The most precious gift that we humans can give each other is blood or blood components, a gift that can save lives and give a new lease on life to many people in need. Donating blood is a noble act, and it gives youth the opportunity to directly connect with social issues in the area where they live. Timely provision of quality blood also gives life to many and makes them happy. There are many ways to be a better human being and to serve mankind. Voluntary blood donation is said to be among the best things that a man can do. If someone really loves themselves and other fellow beings, one way to express it is to donate blood voluntarily.

Motivators are the ray of hope that brings people out for this noble cause of blood donation. The target should be “young donors,” hoping that the new generation of motivated, unremunerated donors will create a bank of safe blood that will help save lives whenever necessary. Young donors will form a long-term commitment and help improve a country’s safety and requirements for blood supply. Even young people who, for some reason, cannot donate blood can work as volunteers to advocate for blood donations.

On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, the following frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to blood donation are answered:

What is safe blood? Blood or blood products collected from a safe, healthy, voluntary, non-remunerated donor, which adversely affect neither the donor nor the recipients’ health status, are safe blood.

How is donated blood used? The blood bags that are collected are used to provide many patients with blood components. They receive red blood cells, platelets, or plasma, depending on their needs. Red blood cells and platelets (which speed up clotting) are used to treat patients with cancer, such as leukaemia, or accidental haemorrhage. A thalassemia patient needs red blood cells frequently. They are, of course, valuable during surgery to replace blood lost during the operation. Plasma in its initial form, especially Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP), may be used, particularly in the case of acute haemorrhage when there is an overall deficiency of blood coagulation factors, or it may be fractionated to isolate some of its proteins (immunoglobulins, coagulation factors, albumin, etc.) for therapeutic use.

Can anyone be a donor? In India, any healthy person aged 18 to 60 years old with a weight of more than 45 kg and a haemoglobin level of more than 12.5 g/dl can usually donate whole blood, although other limits apply to donations of plasma and platelets. For safety reasons, users of injectable drugs, carriers of transmissible infections (HIV, HBV, HCV, syphilis, malaria, etc.), and recipients of organ transplants or transfusions cannot longer be blood donors.

What types of donations are possible? Blood services collect whole blood, plasma using a technique called plasmapheresis (the donor’s blood is processed through an apheresis machine that extracts only the plasma and returns the rest of the blood to the donor), and platelets using a technique called plateletpheresis (the donor’s blood is processed through an apheresis machine, much like in a plasma donation). In this case, only the platelets are collected, and the rest of the blood is returned to the donor. Blood services also collect blood samples from donors who wish to join a hematopoietic stem cell and bone marrow database. These data enable donors to be matched with patients who need stem cell transplants.

How often is it possible to donate blood? As a rule, at an interval of 3 months, any healthy person can donate blood up to 4 times per year. Plasma and platelets may be donated frequently.

What are the health benefits of blood donation? Blood donation helps maintain heart health, increase the production of RBC, help with weight loss, improve psychological health, and detect serious diseases.