‘Donate blood to save lives’

SBTP official says Pakistan has additional transfusion needs due to high rate of thalassaemia

World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) is being observed on Friday to raise awareness about the need for safe blood transfusion and to thank donors for their lifesaving gifts.

In Pakistan, national health organisations mark the day by holding campaigns to create awareness among the masses about the need for safe blood donations as the country battles an ongoing blood shortage problem.

Safe Blood Transfusion Programme (SBTP) National Coordinator Hasan Abbas Zaheer said that blood is an important resource for patients who suffer from life-threatening conditions. “Pakistan has an acute safe blood shortage and the issue needs to be addressed urgently. About 3% of the country's population should donate blood in order to meet the country's needs.”

“Pakistan has additional transfusion needs due to the high burden of thalassaemia. We need about 3% of our population to donate blood two to three times a year to sustain our system on 100% voluntary and non-remunerated donations,” said Zaheer.

In order to meet the requirement, social media platforms are also rallying behind the cause. Facebook launched its blood donation feature in 2017 and in Pakistan last year. The feature allows people to sign up as blood donors and to locate their nearest blood donation centres. Also, those in urgent need for blood can sign up. Since 2018, more than 2 million people have signed up to be blood donors on Facebook in Pakistan out of 35 million globally.

Zaheer praised Pakistan’s “strong national culture of altruism” as one factor that is helping to boost blood donations in the country. Hashtags such as #SafeBloodForAll and #DonateBlood are being used on social media platforms to create awareness towards the cause.

According World Health Organisation, in low-income countries, up to 52% of blood transfusions are given to children under five years of age. An adequate and reliable supply of safe blood can be assured by a stable base of regular, voluntary and unpaid blood donors. These donors are also the safest group of donors as the prevalence of blood-borne infections is lowest among them, says the WHO.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2019.