Shimla: With no other desire but to save lives, voluntary blood donors on a ‘Save Life Mission’ across Himachal Pradesh have blanketed out professional donors, if there were any, as no HIV +ve donor case had been detected so far.
At a camp organized to mark the World Blood Donor’s Day, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal disclosed 83 percent of the blood collected for the 17 blood banks in the state came from voluntary donors. Storage capacity of these blood banks was 4500 units.
Of the about 21,000 units of blood collected by these blood banks for meeting the needs of patient in different health institutions, not a single one so far had been detected with the HIV +ve infection,†said Dhumal.
Himachal is free from professional donors for the state is ranked second in the country for voluntary blood donation that has increased from 38 percent in 1998 to 83 percent in 2010,†he said.
This had become possible only because of awareness campaigns and blood donation camps organised by different organisations, including religious institutions.
The blood component separation unit at Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla that was separating 19 percent components would soon be upgraded for enabling separation of 30 percent blood components, the chief minister stated.
At all blood banks testing for HIV, Hepatitis B and C, VDRL and Malaria was being done by professionally trained personnel, he said.
He added that four more blood collection vehicles would deployed for collecting blood from the voluntary blood donation camps being held in state.
Last year, 260 blood donation camps were held by various voluntary organisations in which 9,281 units of safe blood was donated by individuals for the cause of saving lives.
A blood donor directory had been prepared which would soon be released for the benefit distressed patients in need for specific blood groups.
On the occasion voluntary donors, which included Vasudev Kuthiala, who has donated blood 138 times, were honoured.
Puneet Sood, president, Save Life Mission, in his welcome address about how voluntary blood donation had become a movement in Himachal.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
