Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 25
One of the least though about segments in the medical field until recently, college youths in Nagaland are finally making blood donation a trendy noble deed. Blood donation camps are happening more often and in Dimapur alone, 33 colleges are listed for it. The lifesaving act by Naga youths has certainly saved hundreds of lives across the state.
Last year, the Dimapur district hospital collected 3092 units of blood through donation which was more than 90% of the targeted units. That is almost half the amount of blood donated in the entire state. And this year, starting from April 1, college students have already donated 160 units of blood within their respective campuses. Age groups in between 18 to 24 have donated the maximum number of blood.
So far, from the amount of blood donated by people, ‘O’ blood group happens to be the most received. Because the idea is to motivate healthy, educated youngsters to save lives, Dr. Temsu, a pathologist and in-charge of the Dimapur blood bank, expressed great satisfaction on the changing attitude of the younger Naga generation. With the continued trend, the doctor says, the state might one day be self-sufficient in supplied-blood.
The blood bank in Dimapur is one of the functional licensed banks in the state; the other two being in Kohima and Mokokchung. Blood collected in Dimapur has saved lives in places like Wokha, Zunheboto and Mon. The blood bank also caters to the need of private hospitals in the state. Dr. Temsu believes that “nobody should ever die for need of blood”, and he continues to encourage youngsters to donate blood. The District Blood Transfer Council ensures that blood donated is double-checked for transfusion transmissible infections, and so far, the district hospital has maintained utmost care that no such accident occurs. There have been no reports of blood transfusion accidents in the last four years.
However, awareness for blood donation among the larger population is still very little. Family donors are also seen to be negligible. As Dr. Temsu says, “there is rush for blood” and the 35 days life of donated blood goes out of the freezer almost frequently. And with every Friday observed as voluntary blood donation day in the state, the journey to save more lives adds more meaning to the lives of donors.
