Poor collection of blood through donation camps

The collection of blood through volunteers is only 68 per cent of the total blood in blood banks in Orissa, whereas it was 80 and 90 per cent in states like West Bengal, Maharashtra and Kerala.

In Orissa, a total 2.34 lakh blood units were collected last year, official sources said.

Of these 1.80 lakh, around 68 per cent had been collected through the volunteers, according to Orissa State AIDS Control Society (OSACS) sources.

The voluntarily blood donation, however, slightly improved this year. While 1.51 lakh units were collected in the state by the end of July, 1.16 lakh units through the voluntary donors. The target of collection for this year was 3 lakh, including 2.24 lakh through voluntary donors.

Constant efforts, holding of camps and awareness among young people are some of the reasons for slight improvement of blood collection through voluntary donors in the current year, said Tripati Mishra, deputy director of OSACS.

Activists of Association of Voluntarily Blood Donors (AVBD), state branch, however said the people to donate the blood would be increased if the government introduces the credit card system to the donors.

J Suresh, general secretary of AVBA, who is also the executive committee member of Federation of Blood Donors Organisation of India (FBDOI) said more number of youths would come forward to donate blood voluntarily, if the government introduces the credit card system to the donors.

"The experiment was a success in other states like West Bengal, which stood first in the country to collect blood through the volunteers," he said.