Tear the fear off - donate blood : An Initiative from Fortis Hospital, Vadapalani to dispel the myths and beliefs of blood donation during COVID

• Fortis Hospital, Vadapalani in association with cine celebrities organized a blood donation drive to encourage the donors to donate blood and dispel the myths and beliefs of blood donation during COVID.

Chennai, June 15, 2021: COVID-19 has disrupted the day-to-day life of tens of thousands of people around us. The series of waves and the fast spread of this disease created panic not just with the layman but also among the real-time heroes, the blood donors. COVID also created new myths and beliefs on blood donation among blood donors.

Blood must come from generous donors as it cannot be manufactured in laboratories or factories. To keep the volunteering tradition alive, to encourage the donors to donate blood and dispel the myths and beliefs of blood donation during COVID Fortis Hospital has organized a blood donation drive along with the cinema celebrities Anjali Rao (Actress), Praveen Saravanan (Film Makes), Suresh Ravi (Actor, Producer), Ranjith Manikandan (Film Director) and Sanjay Pandey (Zonal Director, Fortis).

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Sanjay Pandey, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospital, Vadapalani said that “COVID has impacted the blood banks’ reserve across regions. The voluntary blood donation has affected the national blood supply due to COVID-19; also, the blood donation drive has plunged by 20 percent in the state during pandemic. As per WHO any country needs 1 percent of its population to donate blood to meet the country’s transfusion need. In India, there is always a shortage of 1m units. To eliminate this shortage, we need to encourage India’s youth population to donate blood. A person recovered from COVID can donate blood after 28 days of his/her isolation or testing negative after treatment and a vaccinated person can donate 14 days after vaccination.”

Commenting on the initiative Dr. Shanmuga Priya, Consultant – Transfusion Medicine, Fortis Hospital said that “when the number of people affected by COVID infection during the second wave are high the demand for blood for surgeries also not reduced. Though road accidents drastically declined during the lockdown pregnant women, Thalassemia, and cancer patients need blood. When the first and second waves impacted the blood reserve and donation the third wave is in the pipeline. The blood donation camps are also not being conducted frequently now due to COVID limitations. Students, youth, NGOs who are the main donors of blood are also locked within their locality. The initiative of this kind by Fortis Hospital will encourage the donors to come forward to donate blood, she said.”

About Fortis Hospital, Vadapalani:

Fortis Hospital, Vadapalani is the second facility within Chennai from the country’s fastest-growing healthcare group – Fortis Healthcare and centrally located in the bustling epicenter of Arcot Road, Vadapalani. This 250-bed multi super-specialty, quaternary care hospital is geared up to cater to the city of Chennai for a full spectrum of specialties including Cardiology, Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Pulmonology, Neurology, Urology, Diabetology, Orthopedics & Spine, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, General Surgery, and other support specialties.

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