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3000 children born with thalassaemia a year

Voluntary blood donation not up to mark

Mahbuba Zan nat
Patients suffering from thalassaemia. haemophilia, anaemia or leukaemia, who need regular blood supply from outside, are facing tremendous problems in getting it as the rate of voluntary blood donation is not up to the mark.
According to the reports supplied by the Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), every year some 2000 to 3000 children are born with thalassaemia that needs regular supply of blood from outside sources.
"If a patient needs two bags of blood every month, then 1.20 lakh bags of blood will be needed for all thalassaemia patients in the country. It means 2000 bags of blood are required in every district hospitals in every month," said the experts.
But the fact is that the district hospitals outside Dhaka can collect very few units of blood voluntarily as the campaign is insignificant and people are less motivated to donate blood voluntarily.
Experts at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College and
Hospital in Bogra said their demand for blood even' month is 1200 bags, and it is managed either from replacement donors or from Sandhani.
Sandhani, the medical collegebased organisation, is covering nine districts through its 18 units, and can supply only 40000 to 45000 units of blood a year, said organisation President Hashed Alam.
According to World Health Organisation, Bangladesh needs every year 2.5 lakh units of blood and blood components. Though it is supposed to be collected from voluntary blood donors, still 10.53 percent of it is collected from professional blood donors.
A screening report of Safe Blood Transfusion Programme shows that only 29.13 percent blood comes from voluntary blood donors while 60.34 percent is collected from replacement donors.
Tt is unfortunate that a huge quantity of blood is still collected in our country from professional blood sellers," said Dr Syeda Masooma Rahman of Safe Blood Transfusion Programme of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).
"If people are not motivated to donate blood, it tends to encourage the professional blood donors who sometimes even give blood twice a month that contain insignificant haemoglobin and increases the risk of spreading HIV/AIDS virus. Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis," said Dr Shahana Zafor, officer-in-charge of Dhaka Blood Centre at Bangladesh Red Crescent Society.
With its five branches in Dhaka. Sylhet, Chittagong, Jessore and Dinajpur, the society collected and distributed 45000 units of blood in 2007 which is very insignificant compared to total requirement of blood in the country every year, said Dr Shahana.
"Everyday on an average 25 people are coming to Dhaka Branch of Red Crescent Society to seek bloqd for emergency need of the patients. But we can supply blood to only 15 people which means we cannot meet the requisition of 40 percent people," she added.
Supply of blood from outside is also needed for operative cases and people injured in road accidents.
But as more people are not coming forward to donate blood
voluntarily, a person who needs emergency blood supply has to face serious problem in getting safe blood.
So people will have to come forward to donate blood voluntarily, and a healthy person can donate blood in every four months. According to experts, donating blood in one hand saves lives of many and on the other hand it is good for the donor as by donating blood, the bone marrow gets stimulus to produce new blood cell.
"It is good to hear that the number of professional blood sellers has been reduced from 70 percent to 20 percent as motivation for voluntary blood donation has been strengthened. But the paid blood donors or blood sellers are still continuing to supply blood in the country, especially outside Dhaka.” said Dr Moniruzzaman.
Dr Moniruzzaman, also coordinator of Research and Motivation of Voluntary Blood Donation Programme at Quantum Foundation, said a bagof blood can give direct support to four patients.
"However, the number of voluntary blood donors is not increasing as was expected due to lack of proper motivation, " he added.