WHAT IS BLOOD DONATION?

BLOOD DONATION, GREATEST DONATION (in hindi -"Rakt Daan, Mahaa Daan") - Blood donation is a process in which a living being donates a very small amount of their blood for the person who needs the blood, voluntarily.

WHY IT IS NEEDED?

A human body has approximately 5 litres of blood which is continuously pumped by our heart , running inside our blood vessels and keeping us alive.

But whenever the body suffers any severe injury or undergo surgery or due to some blood disorders , there is a loss of blood in the amount that body cannot self- suffice itself , or the blood elements are defective creating the loss even more.. in such cases , there occurs lack of sufficient amount of blood in our body which makes the survival difficult.

And so such patients /victims need blood from outside source(other human being ) to fulfill the needs of the body to restore the body functions and keep them alive.

WHO CAN DONATE BLOOD?

(According to National Blood Transfusion Council)

• Healthy Persons above 18 years and below 65 years can donate , regardless of gender.
• The donor must have met the required hematological (like Hb) and physical criteria (like weight) before donating.
• The weight should not be less than 45 kgs. 
• The haemoglobin should not be less than 12.5 gms.
• The pulse, blood pressure and temperature should be within normal limits.
• The donor should not be suffering from any other infections (even cold and cough )
• No recent vaccinations or immunizations since past 15 days atleast, or no history of rabies(dog bite) for last 1 year.
• No history of HIV, TB, LEPROSY, HEPATITIS B or C.
• No recent history of any minor or major surgery in last 6 months including dental extractions.
• No history of tattoo in last 1 year.

There are many other criterias to be fulfilled. And at the blood donation centers, the professional experts and doctors do the screening and judge for all the eligibilty requirements before allowing any person to be a donor. [Ofcourse, THE SAFETY OF THE DONOR IS PRIME].

WHO CANNOT DONATE?

• Patients with uncontrolled diabetes or taking insulin injections
•  Intravenous drug abusers
• People who have taken antibiotics in last 48 hours , even if the symptoms have subsided.

NOTE- THE DONOR MUST HAVE TAKEN A FULL MEAL BEFORE DONATING THE BLOOD.

Even after the blood donation, the donors are kept under observation for about 20-30 minutes and also provided with some refreshments.

TO BE CONTINUED….