Azad honours Blood donors; Exhorts Youth to come forward

NEW DELHI, June 21: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today exhorted the youth of the country to come forward and voluntarily donate blood.Speaking here at a function to honour the donors and organisers of blood camps organised by the Indian Red Cross Society, Mr Azad said, �The blood donors are the real heroes of our society.�Congratulating the voluntary donors, he said the act� of donating blood depicted both humanism and nationalism, an official statement said.�It is an act which bonds societies and communities,� Mr� Azad maintained.He honoured nine voluntary blood donors who have donated� blood more than 75 times, and 11 organisations which have organised between 100-3000 blood donation camps during the� past year.The Health Minister also mentioned that the demand for� blood has gone up in the past few years, whereas the supply� to meet these increasing demands is yet not commensurate.�There was thus need for more citizens and youth engaging� in voluntary blood donation and more blood camps,� he stated.The Minister further stated that as the new centres for� early detection of cancer, cardio-vascular diseases will� start operating and owing to the increasing medical tourism� in the country, the demand for blood is likely to increase further.He also complemented the efforts of the Indian Red Cross Society, several voluntary organisations and blood donors,� and NACO for ceaselessly working towards this aim.Also speaking at the occasion Additional Secretary, NACO Anuradha Johri said as against the demand for 1.14 crore� units of blood, estimated on the basis of the current� population� only 93.32 lakh units of blood was being� collected in the country annually, which has resulted� in saving the lives of about 92 lakh patients.She further stated that the collection of blood by NACO� has increased by 12 per cent during 2011-2012 over the� previous year.NACO organised 7000 blood camps last year, she noted.The demand for blood has escalated due to increased number� of surgeries and transfusions and often by reckless and unnecessary use of blood, she observed.�There was thus the need for sensitising the users of blood, hospitals and doctors towards responsible and rational use of blood which can save so many more lives,� she said.She said NACO has been undertaking several awareness� campaigns towards this aim.The Blood Donation Mobile centres of NACO have helped to organise 15,000 blood donation camps last year, she informed� the gathering.Ghulam Nabi Azad was the Chief Guest at the function� organsied by the Indian Red Cross Society at the culmination� of the World Blood Donation Week, which started on June 14, designated as the World Blood Donor Day.Mr Azad also felicitated several centurion blood donors.� (UNI)