Five are males for each female blood donor

Kathmandu, July 28: Majority blood donors of Nepal are male.

Of the total 62,353 unit blood collected by the Central Blood Transfusion Service (CBTS) operated and managed by Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) in the last fiscal year 2017/18, only 16 per cent was donated by women, and 84 per cent by men – 10,068 units and 52,285 units respectively.

However, 262,439 units of blood were collected and 344,933 units were distributed to the patients across the country.

This year blood transfusion in Nepal completed 52 years. In the first year of the implementation of blood transfusion, 157 units of blood were collected, said NCRS Chairman Sanjeev Thapa at a programme organised in Lalitpur to mark the occasion.

In the initial 15 years, blood was collected from the people and workers who were ready to sell the blood. The NRCS started promoting ‘blood donation’ from the volunteers after that, and currently many individuals and organisations are supporting in the this campaign, said Dr. Manita Rajkarnikar, chief of the CBTS.

According to her, of the 62,353 units of blood collected last year, 50,600 units were provided by the volunteers and the rest – about 18 per cent – was given by the relatives and friends of the patients.

Currently the country has 108 Blood Transfusion Service Centres and Units in 73 districts. There are five Regional Transfusion Services in Biratnagar, Pokhara, Nepalgunj, Kailali and Chitwan.

Thapa urged the government to provide additional financial support to run the blood transfusion services across the country as the NCRS is spending more than 15 million annually to manage the service.

“In order to provide the service, district-level blood transfusion service is established in 22 districts, Emergency Blood Transfusion Service is operational in 47 districts and transfusion units are established in 38 hospitals in the country,” said Dibya Raj Poudel, Communication Officer of the NRCS.

Last year, about 3,834 mobile blood collection programmes were organised in Nepal.

AB Negative rarest

According to the CBTS, only 3.10 per cent people in the country have rare blood groups – A, B, O and AB Negative, and the Kathmandu Valley has only 2.9 per cent people with negative blood group. The rarest blood group is AB Negative with only 0.42 per cent people with it.

CBTS has found 66 samples with HIV Positive, 466 with Hepatitis B and 351 with Hepatitis C in the last fiscal.

The NRCS felicitated organisations active in promoting blood donation and organising donation programmes. Pashupati Marwari Sewa Sangh, Ganeshman Singh Study Academy, Lions Club of Chabahil and Chabhil Red Cross were felicitated for organising weekly blood collection programme.

Similarly, Blood Donors Association of Nepal, Nepal Voluntary Blood Donors Society, Friends of RS Negative, Lions Club of Laligurans, Dirghayu Hospital, Mahabouddha, Ganabahal and Bramhatole units of NRCS, Friends Club of Balambu, Satya Sai Sewa Sangathan, Trinity College, Heads Nepal and Lions Club were also felicitated for organising blood donation programmes more frequently.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 29 July 2018.