Saturday, January 05, 2008 Oledan: Lifeline By Radzini Oledan
OF ALL medical needs, the need for blood supply tops the list of pressing concerns that confronts patients and their families. For many people, blood donors are their lifelines.
Blood contains many life-saving components that can help to treat different illnesses and injuries.
One's blood donation could help save the life of an accident victim, a person undergoing major surgery or even for newborns.
Every hour of the day, an estimated 12 units of blood are used. There is a need to collect at least 350 units a day, as a whopping 83,000 units are needed in a year, just to meet the transfusion needs of patients.
The blood donation system is still dependent predominantly on replacement family donors. According to the blood collection figures in 1997: 40 percent donors were voluntary, 30 percent replacement and 30 percent were paid blood donors.
On January 1, with no available blood donor and hesitance even among family members, I submitted myself for a replacement blood donation for an aunt who was scheduled for a myoma operation the following day.
It brought me to a discussion with the Chapter Service Representative for Blood Services of the Philippine National Red Cross-Davao City Gerbert Aurea and Darius Devillenes.
There is a general feeling of apathy towards blood donation. Most often, people say that nobody asked them and, to some extent, there is a fear of the whole process of donation.
Since inception, primarily after World War II, blood transfusions have become an integral part of medical practice. Today, it is estimated that five million recipients are transfused with blood components, including red blood cells, platelets and plasma annually.
Unlike medications that are manufactured, blood components can only be collected from healthy volunteer donors and have a very short shelf life, from five days for platelets, six weeks for red cells and one year for frozen plasma. Thus, there could be a shortage of some types of blood components.
Ensuring an adequate blood supply to meet patient need would call for healthy, eligible people to donate blood regularly. But this can only be done with a deliberate communications campaign.
Similar to the withdrawal of cash from a bank, one can only withdraw cash if sufficient deposits were made in advance. A blood bank must have an adequate supply of blood on hand to meet the demand when patients need it.
People must be made to understand the importance of blood donation for them to come forward voluntarily through the year. It is a gift that we all have inside of us to give to those who are injured, sick or in need.
There are countless opportunities to save lives that should not be wasted.
