Kathmandu – Compared to the male, number of female blood donors is not increasing. One of the reasons behind this is -the fact ‘blood donation does not risk one’s health- has not been given huge publicity.
Central Blood Transfusion Service run by Nepal Red Cross Society had collected 62,353 units of blood last year. Among this, only 10,068 units were collected from the female donors, while 52,285 from the male ones.
However, the number of the female blood donors is slightly increased compared to the previous year. Nearly 9,000 women donated the blood last year, said Chairman of Nepal Red Cross Society, Sanjiv Thapa, adding that that national campaign was initiated to increase female blood donors.
A total of 262,439 units of blood were collected in the fiscal year 2074/75.
Currently, the blood is being collected at 108 places of 73 districts. Out of those donating blood, 66 persons were found HIV positive. Similarly the persons suffering from Hepatitis B and C are 466 and 351 respectively.
From across the country, 3.10 percent blood donors have A, B, O and AB (-) blood groups. However, the number of blood donors with negative blood groups is 2.9 percent.
Nepal Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service Centre was set up in 2023 BS. During the establishment year, the Centre had collected 157 units of blood. The Kathmandu Valley tops the consumption of the blood.
The 52nd anniversary of the Centre was marked today.
Addressing the anniversary programme, Centre’s Chairman Thapa said the Society had given top priority to make the blood transfusion and distribution service more effective and qualitative. He also urged the government to invest more on it.
Similarly, Chief of the Central Public Health Laboratory, Dr Harish Chandra Upreti, lauded that the Centre was working actively for 52 years. (RSS)