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October 1 marks National Voluntary Blood Donation Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of blood donation in India. Despite efforts, the country continues to struggle with a chronic shortfall in blood donations, with experts calling for stronger safety measures to encourage more people to donate.
India has yet to meet the World Health Organization’s recommendation that 1% of the population donates blood annually. With a potential donor base of 402 million people, the country still faces a deficit of approximately one million blood units every year. Annually, India needs around 14.6 million units of blood, but only a fraction is donated voluntarily.
Experts attribute this shortfall to widespread misconceptions about blood donation, particularly fears of contracting infections such as HIV. Lack of awareness about the dire need for blood among vulnerable patients also plays a significant role.
“While voluntary blood donation in India has grown, there remains a significant gap in meeting the national demand, mainly due to lack of awareness,” said Dr. RishiRaj Sinha, a Transfusion Medicine Specialist at AIIMS Delhi, in a statement to IANS. “People may not realize that many patients need blood regularly, which results in a motivation gap to donate voluntarily.”
In addition to the shortage of donations, safe blood supply is a pressing concern, particularly for patients requiring frequent transfusions, such as those with thalassemia, hemophilia, and sickle cell disease. Experts suggest that one way to address these concerns is by implementing Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) for all donated blood.
“NAT testing is a highly sensitive method that can detect even the smallest traces of viruses in blood, significantly improving the safety of blood transfusions,” Dr. Sinha explained. Unlike standard tests, NAT can detect early stages of infections like HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C, reducing the risk of transmission to patients.
Dr. V. K. Khanna, Director of the Institute of Child Health Preeti Tuli Thalassemia Unit at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, emphasized the critical importance of NAT testing, especially for patients who depend on regular blood transfusions. “The use of NAT testing would greatly benefit patients with conditions like thalassemia, cancer, and kidney disease. It would also provide much-needed peace of mind regarding the safety of the blood they receive,” he noted.
Anubha Taneja Mukherjee, Member Secretary of the Thalassemia Patient Advocacy Group, echoed this call for action. “Safe blood is a huge challenge, particularly for patients with thalassemia who require transfusions every 15 to 20 days,” Mukherjee stated. She urged the government to make NAT testing mandatory across all of India, especially in government hospitals, to ensure stringent screening of donated blood.
While the demand for blood in India continues to outpace supply, experts agree that increasing awareness about the importance of voluntary blood donation and implementing measures like mandatory NAT testing could play a crucial role in ensuring safe and reliable blood for those who need it most.
As India observes National Voluntary Blood Donation Day, it is a reminder of the vital role blood donors play in saving lives and the steps needed to enhance both availability and safety for millions of patients across the country.
