State to launch drive for blood donation camps

Kolkata: State health department will conduct an awareness drive to urge various local clubs, NGOs and private agencies to organise blood donation camps. The district health officials will chalk out a plan as to how the whole process would be made more effective.

The amount of blood collected from the camps has been on the lower side ever since the pandemic broke out. The health department is now trying to ensure that the blood collection is no longer hampered.

According to sources in the health department, earlier around 100-150 units of blood used to be collected from each blood donation camp but the number during the pandemic has gone down to 30-35 units. Medical officers and health workers at various government hospitals and blood banks have expressed concern over the crisis of blood in the state.

The amount of blood units collected from the donations by the police personnel falls short of the daily requirement of blood at various government and private establishments.

The state government started blood donation camps involving the police personnel both from the city and the state. But the collection of blood units are not enough to match the daily demands, said a senior official of a government run blood bank in the state.

There has been a significant dip in the blood supply to various blood banks causing inconveniences to those suffering from Leukemia, Thalassemia and hemophilia and also those undergoing emergency surgeries.

According to a senior health official, every day there is a need of nearly 5,000 units of blood in the state. Every year, the state has a requirement of around 15 lakh units whereas the supply is around 11 lakh units. There are 84 state government run blood banks, 35 private and 15 blood banks owned by the Centre.