For a whole blood donation, approximately 350-450ml of blood is collected. For platelet or granulocyte donations, the amount collected depends on your height, weight and platelet count.

People with good general health. Anybody aged between 18 to 60 years. Body weight should be more than 50 kgs. Hemoglobin should be more than 12.5 gm/dL.

One has around five litres of blood in the body and can donate up to 8% of blood volume once in every three months without any complications.

Yes, since this helps to ensure the safest possible blood supply. All donors are asked all the screening questions at each donation. NACO guidelines specifically require that all blood donors complete the donor history questionnaire on the day of donation.

Your body replaces lost plasma in 48 hours and blood cells in 8 weeks. Blood donation does not bring about any physical weakness.

No. The Blood Centre requires that you be symptom-free and feeling well.

Yes, if your blood pressure is within the limits set by NACO guidelines.

We recommend that you call our Blood Centre ahead of time to enquire about any medications you are taking. Aspirin and ibuprofen will not affect a whole blood donation. However, apheresis platelet products can be affected if aspirin or aspirin products are taken 48 hours prior to donation. Many other medications are acceptable.

The entire donation process, from registration to post-donation refreshments, takes about one hour. The actual donation takes about 5-10 minutes.

Apheresis is the process of removing a specific component of the blood, such as platelets, red blood cells, plasma (liquid part of the blood) or granulocytes (white blood cells) and returning the remaining components to the donor. This process allows more of one particular part of the blood to be collected than could be separated from a unit of whole blood.

The apheresis donation procedure takes longer than that of a whole blood donation. An apheresis donation may take about one to two hours, depending on the blood components that are being donated.

After blood is drawn, it is tested for ABO group (blood type) and Rh type (positive or negative), as well as for any unexpected red blood cell antibodies that may cause problems for the transfusion recipient. Blood is also tested for: Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus, HIV-1 and HIV-2, Syphilis, Malaria.

Each unit of whole blood is separated into several components. Red blood cells may be stored under refrigeration for a maximum of 42 days. Platelets are stored at room temperature and may be kept for a maximum of five to seven days. Fresh frozen plasma is kept in a stored frozen state for up to one year. Cryoprecipitate is stored frozen for up to one year. Granulocytes must be transfused within 24 hours of donation.

The approximate distribution of blood types in the Indian blood donor population is as follows. Distribution may vary among ethnic groups and in different parts of the country

O Blood group: 37.12%

B Blood group: 32.26%

A Blood group: 22.88%

AB Blood group: 7.74%

In an emergency, anyone can receive type O red blood cells. Therefore, people with type O blood are known as “universal donors.” In addition, individuals of all types can receive type AB plasma.

While donated blood is free, there are significant costs associated with collecting, testing, preparing components, labelling, storing and shipping blood; recruiting and educating donors; and quality assurance. As a result, processing fees are charged to recover costs. Processing fees for individual blood components vary considerably. Hospital can charge for any additional testing that may be required, such as the crossmatch, as well as for the administration of the blood.

Scientists have yet to find a successful substitute for human blood. This is why blood donors are so vital to the lives of those who are in need of blood.