Blood donation camps serve as important health screening camps, for early detection of serious diseases in donors!
National Voluntary Blood Donation Day- Oct. 01.
Our specialist contributer on Community Health issues *Dr. Naresh Purohit, (Exec. Member-Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohaematology), calls upon Citizens to come forward and Donate Blood Voluntarily and square up the Gap!
New Delhi/Bhopal: Blood donation camps serve as unintended, but important 
health screening camps resulting in the early detection of serious diseases in donors, which otherwise could have remained silent for a longer period and compounded health issues for the carrier of pathogens said Dr Naresh Purohit – Executive Member of the Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohaematology.
Speaking to media persons here after addressing a group of blood donors at a blood donation camp organised by the Bhopal based Peoples College Of Medical Sciences (PCMS) on occasion of National Voluntary Blood Donation Day, noted Epidemiologist Dr Purohit informed that every year India needs about 5 crore units of blood, out of which only a meager 2.5 crore units of blood are available. There is no substitute for human blood. Every two seconds someone needs blood.
More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
Renowned medic pointed that pathogens of serious diseases — Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, AIDS, Malaria and Syphilis — are detected during systematic analysis of reports of blood collected during donation camps.
He averred that there were umpteen instances when some donors tested positive for certain pathogens and dreaded viruses.
“Rather than just 
discarding infected blood, the blood banks and organisations conducting blood donation should contact donors found positive for pathogens to caution them on the issue and advise them to seek expert treatment,” he emphasised.
He stressed on maintaining further confirmation of infection and treatment was either undertaken by the organisation or by the family concerned.
Experts in the medical education and healthcare segment pointed that most volunteer blood donation camps, organised periodically in the region, do more than just collect blood for the ailing humanity.
They acknowledged that blood donation helped save donors’ lives through early and timely detection of certain diseases known as “silent killers” namely diabetes and renal ailments.
“Blood banks must ensure that a donor is informed about the presence of any serious infection , either directly or through organisers,” they stressed.
They urged that all camp organisers should stick to protocol of critical analysis of reports received in connection with donors and follow medical ethics in connection with blood samples showing abnormal results.
*Dr. Naresh Purohit-MD, DNB, DIH, MHA, MRCP(UK), is an Epidemiologist, 
and Advisor-National Communicable Disease Control Program of Govt. of India, Madhya Pradesh and several state Health organizations. Dr. Purohit is also Chief Advisor Hospitals Association of India and Chief Investigator Association of Studies for Kidneycare. And Executive Member of the Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohaematology.
