While the overall number of blood donors in India has grown over the years, women constitute only a tiny 10 percent share.
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According to World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Database on Blood Safety (GDBS) 2011, 90 percent of blood donors in India were men and only 10 percent were women.
WHO had previously indicated that India reported the greatest increase in blood donors from 3.6 million in 2007 to 4.6 million in 2008. There are no figures for the subsequent years.
Data shows that women make for more than 40 percent of blood donors in 25 countries, among them Australia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Moldova, Mongolia, New Zealand, Portugal, Swaziland, Thailand, the US and Zimbabwe.
India faces a whopping 30-35 percent blood deficit annually. The country needs around 8 to 10 million units of blood every year but manages a measly 5.5 million units.
Blood banks and doctors say the huge deficit should be addressed and if more women contribute, it would help us the bridge the gap.
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Women who have heavy blood loss during menstruation are also not allowed to donate. According to doctors, menstruating women lose about 80 ml of blood every month.
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The doctor also said a lot of myths still prevail on blood donation among rural women.
"Most women from rural parts of the country think that donating blood would lead to some kind of health problem and weakness. Many also fear their health will deteriorate due to blood donation. Even in urban areas, there are fears of health hazards like developing anaemia and complications during pregnancy," Vanshree Singh said.
Source-IANS