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TRANSCON-2023: Blood donation, awareness needed to mitigate blood shortage: CM Yogi

By, Lucknow
Oct 07, 2023 05:10 AM IST

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said India faces a 15-20% blood supply shortfall due to poor awareness about donation. The nation requires 1.5 crore units of blood daily, but there is currently a shortage of 20 to 25 lakh units. Adityanath emphasized the need for awareness campaigns to mitigate the shortage. During the 'Seva Pakhwada' programme, blood donation drives were conducted in every district, resulting in the collection of 25,000 units of blood statewide. Adityanath also highlighted the role of technology in India's effective handling of the pandemic and urged experts to visit Ayodhya and Naimisharanya.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said India faces a 15-20% shortfall in blood supply for patients despite advances in medical science due to poor awareness among masses about blood donation.

Sharing a personal experience from the Gorakhnath hospital in Gorakhpur, Yogi Adityanath explained how a crowd of relatives was sent out of the emergency (ward) just by announcing that all those present needed to donate blood for an injured patient who they had come to visit. (HT FILE)
Sharing a personal experience from the Gorakhnath hospital in Gorakhpur, Yogi Adityanath explained how a crowd of relatives was sent out of the emergency (ward) just by announcing that all those present needed to donate blood for an injured patient who they had come to visit. (HT FILE)

He was addressing a gathering at Transcon-2023, the 48th annual conference of the U.P. chapter of the Indian Society for Blood Transfusion and Immunohaematology (ISBTI) held at King George’s Medical University.

“The nation requires 1.5 crore units of blood daily, but there is currently a shortage of 20 to 25 lakh units. This shortfall is due to a lack of awareness among masses. Hence, it is the responsibility of all to make people aware of blood donation in order to mitigate the shortage of blood for patients,” he said.

The chief minister also released the souvenir of Transcon-2023 on the occasion.

Sharing a personal experience from the Gorakhnath hospital in Gorakhpur, Yogi Adityanath explained how a crowd of relatives was sent out of the emergency (ward) just by announcing that all those present needed to donate blood for an injured patient who they had come to visit.

“The family members are hesitant to donate blood when needed, which reflects their lack of knowledge about the importance of blood donation. This is the time when professional blood donors come in and donate infected blood,” he said.

During ‘Seva Pakhwada’ programme, which runs from Vishwakarma Jayanti and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on September 17 to Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2, blood donation drives were conducted in every district, resulting in the collection of 25,000 units of blood statewide, the chief minister said. The initiative provided an opportunity for many to have their blood groups tested and rare blood types reserved, he added.

During the pandemic, Uttar Pradesh faced challenges, including a shortage of ICU beds, specialists, paramedical staff, nursing personnel, and technicians, he said. To address these shortages, training initiatives were initiated, and institutions like KGMU and SGPGI established virtual ICUs across the state, contributing significantly to the fight against Covid-19. The efforts of frontline workers played a pivotal role in minimising the death rate and curbing the spread of the infection in the state, he added.

Calling upon doctors to use technology, the chief minister said the entire country defeated Covid-19 with the aid of technology. Despite India’s population of 140 crore, which is four times the USA’s population, India managed to handle the pandemic more effectively, resulting in lower infection and mortality rates compared to the United States, he said.

He appealed to experts attending the conference to visit Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, and Naimisharanya in Sitapur district.

Prof Tulika Chandra, head of the department of transfusion medicine at KGMU who is coordinating the event, said experts from different parts of the country are discussing recent advances in transfusion medicine in different sessions spread over four days.

Principal secretary, medical education, Partha Sarathi Sen Sharma, former head of clinical haematology at KGMU Dr AK Tripathi and other experts participated in the programme.

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