Mega Blood Donation Event Collects 1,520 Pints

The recent Mega Blood Donation event held on December 19 at the Port-Louis municipality successfully collected 1,520 pints of blood, although it fell short of the ambitious target of 1,800 pints. Despite this, Dewanand Hossen, president of the Blood Donors Association, expressed a sense of accomplishment for the outcome.

The event attracted various prominent figures, including the Minister of Labor, Reza Uteem, and Vice-President of the Republic, Robert Hungley, both of whom donated blood.

Hossen commented, “Setting a target of 1,800 pints was quite high, but collecting 1,500 pints is still a commendable achievement.

We extend our gratitude to everyone who contributed to making this day a success.

The blood collected will aid in treating patients, and we appreciate our donors who remained committed throughout the day. Some arrived as late as 6 PM, and we concluded around 7 PM.”

One of the primary challenges noted by Hossen was engaging younger individuals to participate in blood donation.

He said, “We have noticed that young people are not particularly interested in becoming donors.

To address this, we launched the Young Blood Donors Club in February this year, and with government support, we have lowered the minimum age for donors to 17, provided they have parental consent.”

Various colleges are now organizing blood donation drives to encourage youth involvement in this important cause.

Hossen also highlighted demographic issues affecting blood donations, stating:

“As time passes, our regular donors may no longer be able to donate due to age or health reasons, impacting our overall blood collection. It is essential for younger donors to step up and replenish our donor base, which is dwindling.”

This year’s event marked a return to the traditional format that was in place before the COVID-19 pandemic; the Mega Blood Donation took place over one day with the assistance of various partners, including Radio Plus. Last year, the event was extended from December 18 to December 21.

The volume of blood collected during this event is expected to support patients for approximately ten days, given the current demand of 150 to 200 pints daily.

Hossen reassured that many more blood drives are scheduled in the weeks to come, with the next donation event set for December 25 at the Tookay Temple in Camp Diable, followed by a traditional drive at Grand-Bassin on January 1, organized by the Sri Sathya Sai Group.

Minister of Health Anil Bachoo attended the Mega Blood Donation and issued a call to action for the community to increase blood donor participation.

He voiced concerns about the low donor rates, noting that only 2.5% of the population currently donates blood, which is insufficient.

“It is concerning to experience blood shortages, particularly during this time of year,” he remarked.

Bachoo emphasized the need for more volunteers to step forward and take part in community blood donation events.

Source: Defi Media