AMRI Hospitals blood donation drive in Kolkata

AMRI Hospitals today organized a voluntary blood donation drive at its Dhakuria branch on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day.

The blood donation drive was the hospital's way of addressing the concerns around the relative shortage of blood in West Bengal, particularly during the summer months.

The campaign was also aimed at spreading awareness around the life-saving tenet that blood donation provides.

Rupak Barua, Group CEO, AMRI Hospitals said, "Receiving the right kind of blood at the right time can often make a crucial difference between life and death. Even the simple act of donating just 100 ml of blood can mean the world to others. At AMRI, we recognize the need to spread awareness around blood donation and the campaign, #HaveaHeart, has been created to reflect on the importance of saving a life through a simple blood donation drive."

Shortage of blood is not uncommon in West Bengal and blood infusions become more important during summer months. Even in circumstances of emergencies, such as a road accident, many deaths can be prevented by containing the shortage of blood. A voluntary drive on World Blood Donor day can help reflect the issue on a more personal note, said Barua.

"Shortage of blood can only be prevented when more people donate blood. Most people do not consider that there might be a shortage in availability of blood when they or their loved ones need it. As more people understand this, shortage of blood might not create a bottleneck in healthcare," he added.

Kolkata requires around six lakh units of blood every year, around 60 to 65 percent of that demand being usually met by blood banks, with the rest coming from donors, arranged by patients' families.

"Fortunately, very few people die owing to lack of blood. But the supply often slows down in summer as fewer donation camps are held at this time", said Debabrata Ray of Association of Voluntary Blood Donors.

Blood donations also arrive from local clubs organizing donation drive's on their own.

Through this drive, AMRI Hospitals is looking forward to curb blood shortage issues and making a significant impact in terms of awareness across the state.