If you do not have rice, you can eat bread. Unfortunately, it’s not the case with blood as there is no replacement for it. India already has a very low number of people who donate blood, compared to its population. And the Covid-19 outbreak has resulted in a further decline. Blood banks are running out of blood as they are not getting enough voluntary donors.
An empty blood bank is a bad news for patients of Thalassemia, Sickle Cell Anemia , Leukemia and Hemophilia. Also, blood transfusions are a necessity in some cases of emergencies and it can prove fatal if the patient doesn’t receive the required amount of blood. Hence, lack of donors can be a much more serious issue during Covid-19.
We have seen that even a lot of regular donors are shying away due to the fear of Covid 19. A doctor also cited that they witnessed a 50 per cent decline in voluntary donors during the past one month. So the Discover East Team decided to check if it was safe to donate blood in these times.
Safety measures taken in Guwahati Medical College Hospital for Blood Donors
Prioritizing on the safety of the blood donors, GMCH has taken multiple measures. Some of them are as follows.
- Everyone has to pass through the mandatory Rapid Antigen Test before going into the blood bank.
- Blood donors and all staff must maintain social distancing.
- Medical Staff wear masks and gloves at all times.
- Post blood donation, each donation chair is sanitized .
- The whole Blood Bank is sanitized at regular intervals.
- All Covid 19 related checks related testes happen in a different section of the hospital.
- All PPE kits, masks, gloves etc are disposed according to guidelines.
- Donors and staff must maintain COVID protocols even on the Blood Donation Bus.
Donate Blood on the World Blood Donor Day
The Junior Doctors Association of GMCH is organizing a Blood Donation Camp on the occasion World Blood Donor Day at the GMCH blood bank.
JCI is organizing two blood donation camps on the occasion World Blood Donor Day. One is in the B Baruah Cancer Hospital and the other in the Apollo Health Center . Another one will hosted in the NFR Hospital, Maligaon. Marwari Yuva Manch will organize another camp on Monday in Guwahati Medical College Hospital.
Read this article about safety measures to maintain in day to day life to be safe from Covid 19.
