Last Updated on June 14, 2023 by Neelam Singh
World Blood Donor Day is commemorated by nations across the globe on June 14 every year. This occasion aims to enhance understanding regarding the essential requirement for secure blood and blood products, while expressing gratitude to selfless individuals who generously donate blood, saving countless lives. On this occasion, THIP Media spoke to Dr Suman Jain, Secretary and Chief Medical Research Officer at Thalassemia & Sickle Cell Society, Hyderabad. She has also been associated with Neerikshana as a Senior Research Officer.
The number of blood donation camps and number of donors have increased in recent times. Is this due to increased awareness or increase in demand?
It is because of both. Awareness has definitely been increased a lot by the media, by the government and by the public sectors and the NGOs who are working in the field of thalassemia, blood cancers. So, the main requirement of blood comes from Thalassemia patients who need blood transfusion lifelong every 15 days, patients of blood cancer during the time of treatment and also the patients of road accidents and some elective surgery. These are the few indications where blood transfusions are required. Still there is a gap, but due to awareness programmes it is getting reduced gradually.
What are the circumstances in which blood is required from a donor and how does the supply meet the demand?
For this we require a multiple-pronged approach. It is not only you who are talking to the donors. Mass media communication is required to ask the donors to come and donate blood, because the volunteer blood donation has to be promoted. So voluntary blood donation needs to be increased. The government is doing a very good job through thought-provoking ads. For example in an ad, a small girl is thanking everybody saying, “You have donated blood, thank you”. when the person replies, “No, I have not donated” she says “Okay, next time”.
Once you donate blood you are saving three lives. So, it requires a lot of persuasion to make a person donate blood. They should understand that it is very safe. So, that how we are promoting and it is required.
How has the demand for rare blood groups met in India?
We have to call rare group donors to donate blood. The rare blood group requirement is also less. The major blood group is O, followed by B then A and then AB positive, then similar was the negative requirement. There is one rare blood group which is very important: Bombay phenotyping. Though the requirement is very less. So, whenever we get the Bombay phenotyping blood, we always inform the donors. We do not motivate them to donate blood whenever there are blood donation camps otherwise they will not be able to donate at the time of requirement, if it arises. Because their blood is very, very precious.
Also, many times when the Bombay phenotyping blood comes to us, we can’t use it and we check with so many blood banks to know whether there is a requirement of Bombay phenotyping. If nobody comes, then after 40-45 days we throw the blood. That is why we always ask rare blood donors to avoid donating in blood donation camps. But other negative groups we definitely get as the camps come.
How do blood donation centres verify that the equipment used are sterilised especially in remote camps?
For the blood camps, the main thing is the blood bag and also the cold storage system which is very important. Then the blood comes to the blood bank and other procedures follows. So, the blood bag is always sterile. It is open in front of the donor at the time of pricking only. And after pricking, it has to be stored in the blood storage container where the temperature is maintained between four to eight degree centigrade. And it is a one time puncture, you can’t use it again. So that is the safety procedure. We teach our technicians to wash their hands, to wear gloves and also to clean the place where you have to prick and then the spirit cleaning. We always have a mock training with technicians about how they are doing. Our doctors also monitors them. That is really important.
Telangana government is considering making the HPA2 antenatal tests mandatory in the state. Do you think similar steps would help other states as well?
This test is essential to prevent thalassemia. HBA2 test check a genetic blood disorder. But it cannot be done through normal laboratories. Some diagnostic labs have this machine for high-pressure liquid chromatography by bio-rad and which costs 500 rupees if we do it on a mass level. If we are doing just few tests, then it is very costly. But if we do 200 tests in a day then it becomes cost-efficient.
Once the HBA2 test is done, we check if the antenatal mother is a carrier. If yes then we do the test on husband. If the husband is normal then there is no problem. The woman can continue with pregnancy. But if the husband also found to be a carrier, then there is a 25 per cent possibility that the child could be a thalassemia major. Then we do a prenatal diagnosis by serious sampling before 16 weeks or put in amniotic fluid tapping which will be done after 16 weeks of pregnancy. So, this is a test available and it is very reliable and we should do it to prevent thalassemia in children. Several countries like Cyprus, Sardinia, Taiwan are using this. But it has to be a recurrent procedure. It can’t be done once and then stop. We have recommended and asked the government to do it.
Health is a state issue. So, every state has to do at their level. Gujarat has already done it, Punjab is also doing and Karnataka has also started. But every state is doing things at a small level. We are in touch with around 57 NGOs to spread the awareness and we all have taken an oath to stop the birth of Thalassemia major.
What are your suggestions to increase awareness about the importance of donating blood?
It is a very safe procedure that takes just 15 minutes. Before that we collect donor’s medical history, because the blood donation should be very safe. Also, we have to encourage them that by donating blood, you are saving three lives. At least two times in a year a person can donate blood and that is safe.
Another thing we have to thank the donors. Whenever they donate blood, they should receive a thank you message. It gives a good feeling, because it is the voluntary blood donation means they are not getting anything in return, so a thank you message is necessary. We need to encourage volunteer blood donation so that the blood donation becomes a safe procedure for donor as well as receiver. Voluntary blood donation reduces the chance of HCV, HIV, hepatitis B infection.
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