#Blood Safety Series . A critical part in Blood Safety. A main step to ensure safe blood transfusion is to promote voluntary blood donation. voluntary non-remunerated blood donors are the community builders in saving lives. lets check how one can implement 100 % voluntary blood donation and bring revolution in blood safety.

1. TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION OF
100 % VOLUNTARY BLOOD
DONATION
Dr. Jhalak patel
Transfusion medicine expert
Deputy director-medical
Indian red cross society
Ahmedabad district branch

2. WHY?
 Blood transfusion is an indispensable component of health care.
To ensure a safe and sufficient supply of blood components.

3. VOLUNTARY NON-REMUNERATED BLOOD
DONOR (VNRBD)
Definition: “A person who gives blood, plasma, or other
blood components of his/her own free will and receives no
payment for it, either in the form of cash or in-kind, which
could be considered a substitute for money.

4. BLOOD COLLECTION AND PROPORTION OF
VNRBDS IN INDIA ARE AS FOLLOWS
 Total Population: 1393.4 million population
 Total Donations: 12.4 million
 Total VNRBDs: 9.42 million
 % VNRBDs: 76%
* Voluntary non-remunerated blood donations to ensure blood safety in the WHO South-East Asia
Region to support universal health coverage; WHO 2023 Report

5. STRATEGIES - PROMOTION OF VOLUNTARY
NON-REMUNERATED BLOOD DONATIONS
 Create an enabling environment for 100% voluntary non-remunerated blood
donation:
 Strengthen collaboration and partnerships by/with-
o Awareness campaigns in schools and college.
o People at work places-factory workers.
o Uniformed services viz. paramilitary, police – Ahmedabad Red Cross have strong
association with police department.
o Religious and community leaders- We have celebrated blood donation campaign-
“Rang Che Ekta No.”

6. STRATEGIES - PROMOTION OF VOLUNTARY
NON-REMUNERATED BLOOD DONATIONS
 Foster a culture of voluntary blood donation:
- Understand your blood donors-What motivates people- Benefits of blood donation.
- Identify target blood donor population.
- Develop communication strategies for donor education-Effective communication
and campaign.
- Build partnerships with the media.
- Good service and support to donors.
- Maximize the impact of World Blood Donor Day and National Voluntary Blood
Donation Day events.

7. STRATEGIES - PROMOTION OF VOLUNTARY NON-
REMUNERATED BLOOD DONATIONS
 Build and maintain a safe, sustainable voluntary donor base:
- Educate, motivate and recruit new blood donors.
- Mobilize youth as a new generation of voluntary blood donors.
- Convert eligible replacement donors to voluntary blood donors.
- Ensure blood availability.
- Recall infrequent, inactive and temporarily deferred blood donors.
- Retain suitable voluntary blood donors.
- Recognize blood donors’ contribution to society.

8. STRATEGIES - PROMOTION OF VOLUNTARY
NON-REMUNERATED BLOOD DONATIONS
 Provide quality donor service and care
- Make it convenient for donors to give blood.
- Elevate donor anxiety.
- Provide blood donor counselling.
- Make blood donation a safe and pleasant experience.

9. DONOR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
STRATEGIES
 Regular repeat donors – why are they safest- Regularly donate blood hence
regularly get screened for TTIs and become a part of safe donor pool.
 Conversion of first-time donor to regular repeat donor – strategies:
- Appeal to the blood donor about the need to donate again and again; ignite the
passion.
- Appreciate the blood donor- thank the donor at least three times during the process
of blood donation. Follow up with thanks message using communications channels
like short messaging system (SMS), WhatsApp, emails and/or social media such as
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

10. DONOR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
STRATEGIES
- Simply ask for the next blood donation using the above-mentioned communication
channels.
- Make it convenient for the donor to donate; reach out to the workplace of the donor
– outdoor blood donation drives and/or reach out to the home of the donor– outdoor
blood donation drives with resident welfare associations, market welfare
associations and religious associations; where the donor is likely to participate
during his/her free time.

11. DONOR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
STRATEGIES
Minimize:
- Donor waiting time.
- Donor adverse reactions.
- Donor anxiety – provide audio-visual engagement.
- Donor attrition due to deferral – explain the deferral and encourage re-induction of
temporarily deferred donors after the due waiting period is over.
- Donor dissatisfaction – enhance personal connect between the donor and the
service staff.

12. COMMON GAPS AND OPPORTUNITIES
1. Promote awareness of VNRBDs:
- Use information technology/social media tools such as Facebook, WhatsApp and
blogs and reinforce existing contacts using Twitter, emails, and websites.
- Incorporate a chapter on VNRBDs in the teaching curriculum in colleges and
universities.
- Create “Club 25 donors’ club” in colleges and universities.
• IRCS, Ahmedabad has Mission 25/25; Centurion Blood Donors’ Club, Women
Blood Donors’ Club and Handicapped Blood Donors’ Club.
- Create a post of District Voluntary Blood Donation Officer in civil administration
and/or health department.
- Involve public organizations such as cyclists and bikers’ clubs

13. COMMON GAPS AND OPPORTUNITIES
2. Management of dropouts:
- Many persons after blood donation for the first time do not come
again to donate blood? WHY?
o Lack of time and communication.
o Unfavourable location or time of blood donation.
o Unhappy experience.
o Donor reaction at the time of blood donation.
o Non-availability of blood in time of his/her need.
o Failure to appreciate the efforts of blood donors.
o Impression that blood is being mis-utilized.

14. COMMON GAPS AND OPPORTUNITIES
3. Retain blood donors by establishment of regular contacts with them for constant
engagement:
- Thank donors for the present blood donation using WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter
and reinforce existing contacts with donors using SMS and emails.
- Remind donors of the next blood donation using WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and
reinforce existing contacts with donors using SMS and emails.
- Wish donors on their marriage anniversary and reinforce such wishes on birthdays
and important days using all communication channels such as WhatsApp,
Facebook, Twitter, SMS and emails.
4. Decentralized blood transfusion services.

15. STRATEGIES INCORPORATED BY INDIAN RED CROSS
SOCIETY, AHMEDABAD DISTRICT BRANCH TO
BECOME 100% VOLUNTARY BLOOD CENTRE
 Highlights of Indian Red Cross Society, Ahmedabad District Branch
- 100% voluntary blood donation and having >50,000 donations per year.
- Apheresis donation is also through voluntary blood donor pool.
- NABH Accredited since 2014.
- AABB certified in Quality since 2021.

16. • Establishment of different clubs for donor motivation: IRCS, Ahmedabad has
Mission 25/25; Ahmedabad Red Cross Centurion Blood Donors’ Club, Ahmedabad
Red Cross Women Blood Donors’ Club, Ahmedabad Red Cross Handicapped Blood
Donors’ Club.
• Currently we have 125 centurion blood donors enrolled in the club.
• We have mascot for blood donation promotion- Sherdil: Champion Torch Bearer for
blood donation. and Caredil: Visionary Trail Blazer blood transfusion.
• Theme song for blood donation promotion.
• Social media platforms for promotion viz. facebook and instagram.
• Mobile application for easy traceability of donations mentioning date of last
donation along with the facility of availing blood through the same.
• Social media visibility to blood donors and camp organizers.

17. • Awareness lecture on why one should donate blood.
• Blood donation at the comfort of blood donor- (Door to door blood donation drive)
• Celebrating special donations.
• Ensuring donor satisfaction and blood availability at the time of need.
• Providing iron supplements to donors deferred due to low haemoglobin.
• Taking regular donor feedbacks and understanding their needs.
• “Be a Thalassemia Blood Parent” proposal through which a donor can become a
blood donor to specific thalassemia patient and donate for him/her regularly to avoid
multiple donor exposures.

19. THANK