Chennai, June 20: Blood is the lifeline of a human being and it can neither be manufactured in an industrial unit nor purchased in a market. In India, there is a shortage of 40 per cent in the demand and availability of blood as only 60 per cent of it is collected through voluntary donations. However, Tamil Nadu is one of the top states in the country collecting about 85 to 90 per cent of its demand through voluntary donors.
Tamil Nadu annually requires about 4.20 lakh units of blood (a unit is 350 cc) to supply to various hospitals undertaking major surgeries. The state is now in a position to collect as much as 3.70 lakh units, mostly through donors, in the age group of 18 to 60, the prime age group being 18 to 35 years. Says R Rajkumar, secretary of the association of voluntary blood donors, Tamil Nadu, "In India nearly nine million units of blood is collected annually from voluntary donors, constituting 60 per cent of the requirements. There is shortage of blood to the tune of 40 per cent in the country and the collection differs from state to state depending on the population of each state." The Madras Voluntary Blood Bank (MVBB), started in 1975, which is now being looked after by Rajkumar, has done yeoman service in the field of maintaining registers for donors, arranging camps for collecting blood and distributing it to various hospitals in the metropolis free of cost.

In the last 25 years, the MVBB had supplied nearly three lakh units of blood to various hospitals, including government hospitals.

Bureau Report