ISLAMABAD: Like other parts of the globe, the World Blood Donor Day will be observed in Pakistan today (Tuesday) to create wider public awareness on blood donation.
The theme of the this year’s day is ‘Blood connects us all’ with an objective to thank blood donors for their life-saving gift of blood and highlight the dimension of sharing and connection between blood donors and patients.
The day inspires those who have not yet donated blood and to appreciate regular, voluntary and unpaid donors, said Prof Prof Hasan Abbas Zaheer, the national coordinator for Safe Blood Transfusion Programme.
Blood safety encompasses actions aimed at ensuring that everyone has access to blood and blood products that are as safe as possible, available at reasonable cost, adequate to meet the needs of patients, transfused only when necessary, and provided as part of a sustainable blood programme within the existing healthcare system, he added.
The government, he said, had initiated a comprehensive reform process of the blood transfusion system with the German government support.
These reforms are based on the internationally recommended model of a nationally coordinated blood transfusion system, in which the safe blood transfusion programmes of federating units harmonise their approaches gradually and introduce functional separation between regional blood centres and restructured and refurbished hospital blood banks, he mentioned. Dr Abbas said the programme was successfully progressing despite some challenges and the new infrastructure development work involving construction and equipment procurements was well underway.
With the establishment of the blood transfusion programmes at the national and provincial levels, he said that the foundation had been laid in the country for a system which would ensure adequate and nationwide access to safe, efficacious and affordable blood supply.
Dr Sharif Astori, the in charge Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital Blood Bank, said an adult male could donate after every three months (four times in year) while an adult female could donate three times in a year. An individual – male or female – of 18-60 years age,, who is physically and mentally healthy, having weight 50 kg with an hemoglobin level of 12 g/dl or more, can donate blood, Dr Astori said.
Before donating blood, a donor should take light meal like biscuit, tea, water, juice, etc. Blood should not be donated soon after heavy meal and before completion of three months from last donation, he advised.
He said it did not take much time for the human body to replace the donated boold. White blood cells are recovered in five days and red blood cells in 21 days and everyone could safely donate blood after three months, he explained.
