Every year our country requires about 5 Crore units of blood,
out of which only a meager 2.5 Crore units of blood are available.
Every two seconds someone needs blood.
More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year.
Blood cannot be manufactured – it can only come from generous donors.
Type O-negative blood (red cells) can be transfused to patients of all blood types.
It is always in great demand and often in short supply.
Type AB-positive plasma can be transfused to patients of all other blood types.
AB plasma is also usually in short supply.
FACTS ABOUT THE BLOOD DONATION PROCESS:
Donating blood is a safe process. A sterile needle is used only once for
each donor and then discarded.
Blood donation is a simple four-step process: registration,
medical history and mini-physical, donation and refreshments.
Every blood donor is given a mini-physical, checking the donor's temperature,
blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin to ensure it is safe for the donor to give blood.
The actual blood donation typically takes less than 10-12 minutes. The entire process,
from the time you arrive to the time you leave, takes about 45 min.
A healthy donor may donate red blood cells every 56 days,
or double red cells every 112 days.
