Blood donation is everyone’s right as well as duty

This picture has been used for representational purpose

The State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) has written to all the blood banks in the city warning against a blood shortage. It has asked banks to set up camps in housing societies in the city in a bid to increase their stock.

Blood shortage, unfortunately, has been a significant and recurring problem during the pandemic, with the Council now telling banks to expect a similar scenario when they ran dry in the first and second waves, too.

In fact, this paper has for two years, reported on a wonderful Independence Day blood donation drive. Organised by a running group that used to host a running event on the day, since the past two years it has been tweaked to the demands of the outbreak. They hold a blood donation drive called Operation Blood Flood. The running community and others are encouraged to donate blood in the hospital set up, run by doctors and professionals at the start and finish venue of the running event.

This time, banks may need to brace for even tougher times, given the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant and the subsequent fear people have of visiting facilities to donate blood.

Camps are one way to get some people to donate. Even drives set up in public places, with an accent on hygiene and all safety measures may yield results.

Young, healthy people who want to donate, should be encouraged to do so, rather than be deterred by their families, well-meaning though that advice may be. We want to see a real and very relentless push, which begins with awareness for blood donation, as one has to be prepared for the worst. Even public service advertisements in this may help.

Let us as responsible people, help our doctors in this, by trying to fill the blood banks. This is also part of the battle during COVID times.