Arranging for a safe transfusion is literally like getting blood out of stone. With people unwilling to donate, the shortage has peaked, forcing the patients and their families to rely on prefessional donors who are mostly addicts, said a recent report in published in a newspaper.

Any one of us who might have tried to arrange a blood for someone in Delhi might know how traumatic it can prove to be. Delhi needs lot more blood than the actual supply. Voluntary donations are scanty and are restricted to blood donation camps. There are just 50 Blood banks in such a huge city, a number too less…isnt it???

Moreover, you have to replace the units borrowed from the blood banks but people try and take an escape route by paying more or providing recomendations which leads to more scarcity. So, the blood banks bank on professional doners. Imagine your near and dear ones being given the blood donated by a rickshaw puller or a drug addict. Their blood is poor in haemoglobin and low in protein contents other than carrying infections like HVI, Hepatitis, malaria etc.

Today, 15 Jan, 2006, there was a report on sahara samay which showed that in Bihar and more specificaly in Patna, poor people are forced to sell their blood for few hundred rupees only. A person can only donate 300ml blood quarterly. But inhumanity and powery has driver people too far in Bihar. Over there, poor people, labourers, rickshaw pullers are donating more than a litre per month. Now we have to decide is this the blood that should be given to an already ailing body to make the conditions worse. Dont you think this is inhuman.???

I would like to ask you all is what happening really fair??? It is said that the scarcity of a particular thing brings more people in that particular trade. And with it all different types of people come into that particular trade, good as well as bad. Scarcity of blood all over the country has attracted mafia and mischievious people to this trade who have spotted that easy and quick money can be made out as these blood units are sold in the black market for thousands of rupees. Rich people can afford to shell out thousands for their near n dear ones but what about the poor people????

We all should understant that the people who are engaged in such a inhuman and cruel trade like this can be pysocologically sick. Being a responsible and educated citizens we should do our best to erradicate the scarcity of blood and only a continous supply of blood for the needy ones can better this situation.

Friends, being a responsible citizen of the society, it is our duty to contribute for the betterment of the society. Any healthy person can donate his/her blood 2-3 times a year and medical research has proved that regular donation of blood reduces the chances of heart attack by one third.

So I request you all to try and donate your blood atleast twice a year and contribute towards the betterment of the society.

CA Madhur Khandelia

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