World Blood Donor Day : a duty for young people to help humanity and themselves 

“Give blood and save a life”. You must have heard this catchphrase several times. Indeed, blood is one of the main resources for treatment and urgent interventions. On 14th June, each year, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day where awareness is raised about donating blood. In Mauritius as well, there is drastic need for blood in our hospitals every single day. Young people are not only encouraged to donate blood to save a life but also for their own benefits. 

The Mauritius Blood Donors Association organises various activities each year to celebrate this event and also to sensitise people about the importance of donating blood. According to the President of the Mauritius Blood Donors Association, Subhanand Seegoolam, the blood bank needs around 150 pints of blood every day and thus it is important for the population to donate blood regularly. On a daily basis, blood pints are needed in hospitals for several reasons such as for operations, blood transfusion, dialysis patients, thalassemia and cancer, in burning cases treatment, for pregnant women and girls in case of anaemia. The lifetime of the collected blood is only 35 days and hence regular blood donation is crucial. 

Generally, there are four major types of blood group: A, B, O and AB. In the positive blood registry, we have 26% of group A, 27% of group B, around 40% of group O and 7% of group AB.  The total negative registry of all four blood groups and the total population is at only 4%. 

As stated by Subhanand Seegoolam, each season has a different collection rate. For instance, he reveals that during winter, donors are more reluctant to donate their blood and this represents a great risk. He also confides that the number of older donors are bigger compared to the younger ones. He takes this opportunity to encourage young people to donate their blood regularly to save more lives.

Benefits of donating blood 

Did you know that while donating blood you are not only helping humanity but also contributing to your own good?  There are several health benefits when a person donates blood. According to Dr Sonoo, the biggest contribution is to save other people’s lives. “The donor gets a medical check-up that allows him or her to detect if he/she has health issues. For example, it a way to detect whether someone has high blood or low blood pressure and thus they can follow up a with a treatment afterwards, as a medical history is recorded for each donor. When it comes to men, it is good that they donate on a regular basis compared to women, as they have an excess of blood in their bodies and at the same time, it reduces the risks of developing diseases.” 

Dr Sonoo further clarifies that while a man can donate four times a year, it is restricted to three times only for the woman. “There are approximately 30,000 registered blood donors. Among them, approximately 80% donate once a year. She stated that it will be good if donors could donate at least twice a year, as this would in a way prevent a shortage at the blood bank.”

Since Mauritius has an ageing population on the rise, it will be good if more young people between the ages of 18 to 25 years register themselves as blood donors, says the doctor. “This is a serious issue that needs to be taken into account. One recommendation would be to interact with young people through sensitisation campaigns and even by enrolling young people as blood donors.” 

Activities 

In the context of the World Blood Donor Day, the Mauritius Blood Donors Association is organising various events across the country. A blood donation event is being organised this Saturday as from 09:00 to 16:00 at the Village Hall of Bambous. There will be a free medical check-up as well as breast cancer screening. A Motor Vehicles Rally will be organised through the village of Bambous as from 13:00. A march with the theme “Importance of donating blood” will also be held at 13:30 at the Village Hall of Bambous. The best slogan and costume will be rewarded during this occasion. An official ceremony will also be carried out at the Bambous Multipurpose Complex as from 14:00 with guest of honour His Excellency Paramasivum Pillay (Barlen) Vyapoory interim President of the Republic of Mauritius.