Chairman of the Indian Red Cross Society's Dakshina Kannada branch M. Shantaram Shetty on Thursday expressed the need for careful testing of blood donors.
Speaking at the Blood Donors' Day programme organised by the society at the Tejaswini Hospital here on Thursday, Dr. Shetty said every blood bank should carry out tests before allowing a person to donate blood. This was followed by a majority of the blood banks in the district.
Dr. Shetty said there was sufficient stock of blood available in the blood banks in the district. The blood banks had been getting donors in case of emergency, he added.
Vice-Chairman of the society Mohandas Bhandary said a person could donate blood once every three months. He said use of platelets, plasma, and red blood cells, which were preserved at the blood banks, had helped meet needs of patients in times of emergency.
Dr. Bhandary expressed the need for a Government Medical College at the Government Wenlock Hospital. Having a college would go a long way in providing better health care at an affordable cost for the poor at the Wenlock Hospital.
A good number of people donated blood at the Tejaswini Hosptial. A similar programme was organised by the youth wing of the Indian Red Cross Society at the Wenlock Hospital.
Blood Donors Day was observed at the Kasturba Medical College Hospital in Ambedkar Circle.
Udupi Staff Correspondent reports:
Ramachandra Bairy, District Health and Family Welfare Officer, said on Thursday that youth should not only voluntarily donate blood but also create awareness about importance of blood donation.
He was speaking at the World Blood Donors' Day function organized by the district unit of Indian Red Cross Society.
Dr. Bairy said that blood donation was essential as blood could not be manufactured. Nearly 20 per cent of women in the district had been found to be suffering from anaemia. In other districts, nearly 50 per cent to 60 per cent of women were suffering from anaemia.
Those aged between 18 to 60 could donate their blood. Men could donate their blood once in three months, while women could donate it once in four months. The blood collected during blood donation camps was screened for diseases such as HIV, diabetes, and viral hepatitis.
There was a misconception among some sections of people that if a person donated blood and his/her body would become weak. Youth should donate blood voluntarily and not for earning income from it, Dr. Bairy said.
Principal of G. Shankar Government Women's College C. Ashwathamma said that blood donation was the highest form of donation. No alternative had been found for either blood or water, she said. K. Ramachandra Devadiga, Secretary of IRCS, welcomed the gathering.
T. Chandrashekhar, treasurer of IRCS, proposed a vote of thanks. IRCS State unit vice-president Basrur Rajeev Shetty and District Information Officer M. Jhunjanna was present.
