Had nature been so ”considerate” to allow human beings manufacture blood , by employing technologies and associated aides, any shortage compared to demand would easily have been fulfilled. In fact, there would have been no shortages at all. It has to come only from the human beings by physically donating their blood to help those who may desperately be seen needing the same. It is the other way round also. Who knows when one’s some dear and near, a friend, a relation may need the blood and that thinking lends more strength to the need of donating blood for those who, perhaps, in its absence, may even face the imminent danger to life. Since each day, many people need donated blood to keep them in not only good health but alive too, donors on volunteering basis come forward to donate blood which is deposited in Blood Banks. We, in Jammu and Kashmir have as many as 35 Blood Banks but currently most of them unfortunately are reeling under acute shortage of blood . While demand for blood continues to be almost at the same rate, of course with some difference on account of suspension of elective surgeries by the Government in all Government and private hospitals in order to fight the emerging problem of COVID virus patients, the deposits in these Banks have almost dropped to negligible levels.
There are , besides other trauma and emergency cases due to accidents etc, requiring blood transfusion like critical Thalassemia patients or other blood malignancy cases and some urgent gynaecological cases requiring regular blood transfusions, to meet which the hospital administrations are struggling to arrange the same , as a last resort, from the relatives of the recipient patients. Agreed, in upholding such a humanitarian cause, people use to come forward in this noble cause and use to donate blood to keep the blood “accounts” of the Blood Banks satisfactorily running but COVID movement restrictions and other associated problems have vastly contributed to the depleted stocks remaining un-replenished . There used to be various youth donation camps and other voluntary groups holding periodic camps to donate blood but limitations and strains brought in its wake by the COVID pandemic, such oft held events have suffered variedly only to topsy turvy the entire equilibrium.
Confronted with the gravest health problem the country ever faced and in that the UT of Jammu and Kashmir gearing up right from now, even to tackle the third wave of the corona-virus, importance of the Blood Bank should in no case get diluted as when anyone’s blood levels fall due to accidents or due to some grave ailments, there was every likelihood of the patient’s vital organs getting impaired due to deficient blood and the resultant deficient oxygen levels in the affected body. This factor needs to be noted and all those voluntary groups, NGOs, social and cultural organisations, religious and charitable organisations etc must get invigorated to address this problem where otherwise their role and contribution have been all along praiseworthy . COVID pandemic should not invade the best in us to this extent that Blood Banks remain more or less dry. We frankly cannot expect everything under the sky from the Government alone, although it is their constitutional responsibility , but those organisations which were keeping the movement of voluntary blood donation going must gear up to remove the existing shortage of blood in Blood Banks by putting in their best possible efforts.
The Government, while focusing full attention on managing COVID related issues, must devise ways as to how Blood Banks did not run their stocks below normal levels to meet unforeseen eventualities related to blood requirement . The other positive part of the matter is to remember that any healthy person donating blood indirectly was helping oneself too in that while doing so , one gets to know the status of one’s own heath in many ways like blood haemoglobin levels, whether one was hypertensive or suffering from low blood pressure and other problems . Should the test reveal any problem , the prospective donor not only gets to know about his health issues but that he cannot donate blood too under those conditions. So , in donating blood , a donor was not only saving someone’s life but getting to know one’s own status of certain health parameters also .Hence blood donation was the noblest humanitarian gesture.
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