BJP's blood donation camp lures donors with lottery for gifts

Organisations holding blood donation camps have written to the state government urging it stop a section of people from giving gifts to donors.

The matter came to light after the North Dum Dum Purba Mondol of BJP decided to draw a lottery among the donors and give a gold ring to inspire people to donate blood. Ramen Dey, president of the Mondol, said: "We have decided to give a gold ring to inspire people to donate blood."

It may be mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has instructed her party leaders and workers and police to organise blood donation camps throughout the month of June to collect 50,000 units of blood. Political experts said that the BJP has taken up the move to give award to the donors "just to put a spanner in Mamata Banerjee's plan to donate blood to tide over the crisis in the blood banks during summer."

D. Ashis, general secretary Medical Bank which is associated with blood donation movement in the state since 1980s said, because of the award, donors are coming to the camps hiding their diseases like diabetes or whether they had taken drugs within a month. After the blood is drawn, screening is done to find out whether it contains HIV or Hepatitis B and C, Malaria and Syphilis. "To examine the blood, the state government spends anything between Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000. A person coming to the camp to donate blood voluntarily is aware of his health condition and will not come if he suffers from or had any of these diseases. But if donors are lured with gifts, it is likely that they may suppress the diseases."

He said the blood collected now will have to be used within 35 days and apprehended that there may be a crisis in August, September and October as those who have donated blood will have to wait for at least three months to donate it again. Thus he suggested that the blood donation movement should be held throughout the year to meet the crisis in blood banks.

A senior official of state Health department said that as per directions of Supreme Court, giving any gift to blood donors is illegal. "Supreme Court had taken this decision to stop donation of blood by professional donors that had often created problem to the person to whom the blood had been infused."

Organisations holding blood donation camps said for quite sometime, a few clubs had given ceiling fans, pressure cookers and torches to the donors affecting the blood donation movement badly in the state.