Blood donation Day

Hi there...

      October 1 is celebrated as the National Voluntary blood donation day. For all those out there trying to do something good, here's the opportunity.

Let others benefit from your good health. Do donate blood if ...

ü       you are between age group of 18-60 years.

ü       your weight is 45 kgs or more.

ü       your haemoglobin is 12.5 gm% minimum.

ü       your last blood donation was 3 months earlier.

ü       you are healthy and have not suffered from malaria, typhoid or other transmissible disease in the recent past.

Do not donate blood if you have any of these conditions

1.      cold / fever in the past 1 week.

2.      under treatment with antibiotics or any other medication.

3.      cardiac problems, hypertension, epilepsy, diabetes (on insulin therapy), history of cancer,     chronic kidney or liver disease, bleeding tendencies, venereal disease etc.

4.      major surgery in the last 6 months.

5.      vaccination in the last 24 hours.

6.      had a miscarriage in the last 6 months or have been pregnant / lactating in the last one year.

7.      had fainting attacks during last donation.

8.      have regularly received treatment with blood products.

9.      shared a needle to inject drugs/ have history of drug addiction. 

10.   had sexual relations with different partners or with a high risk individual.

11.   been tested positive for antibodies to HIV.

Donation Do’s and Don’ts

Before you donate: 

• DO get a good sleep.
• DO drink plenty of fluids.
• DO eat a good meal before you donate.
• DO eat iron rich foods the week before you donate.
• DON'T skip breakfast.
• DON'T drink caffeine two hours prior to donating; it can increase your pulse rate.
  
  After you donate: 
• DO drink plenty of fluids. 
• DO leave your bandage on for four to six hours.
• DON'T skip meals. 
• DON'T drink any alcoholic beverages for five hours.
• DON'T smoke for one hour.

 

First Aid

Hi.......

Owing to the raise in the accidents in the city, due to traffic, rash driving, and many other reasons, it has become more than important for everyone to know about the basic First Aid techniques to save themselves and others during times of emergencies... Leave alone the accidents, it is always better for everyone to be aware of First Aid... So, here are some of the tips which will help you along the way... Let us start with some of the small wounds and procedures to deal with them...

Cuts, Scrapes And Small Wounds:

Well, almost everyone knows that we have clean our hands and the wound with soap or antiseptic lotion, clean he wound, guage it and check out for infections. Here is one tip that some of you might not know..Never put alcohol or tincture of iodine directly into a wound. This will damage the flesh and slow healing.

Control of External bleeding:

Here again, we have to determine the type of the wound first. It can be of the following types..

• Incision is the type of wound made by cutting with a sharp knife or sharp piece of metal.
• Laceration is a deep wound with associated loss of tissue — the type of wound barbed wire would cause.
• Abrasion is a wound where the skin layers have been scraped off.
• Puncture wounds are perforations, and may be due to anything from a nail, knife or bullet.

In any kind of wound involving bleeding, do the following:

• Apply pressure on the wound to check bleeding
• Apply dressing
• If possible, keep the injured part above the level of the heart
• Call for medical aid, in case of profused or uncontrolled bleeding

In cases of amputaion, extra care has to be taken.The casualty must reach the nearest hospital as soon as possible.

In the meanwhile:

• Apply immediate pressure to stop any bleeding.
• Apply a large pad or dressing to the wound.
• Treat for shock.
• Collect amputated part — keep dry, do not wash or clean.
• Seal the amputated part in a plastic bag or wrap in waterproof material.
• Place in iced water — do not allow the part to come in direct contact with ice. Freezing will kill the tissue.
• Ensure the amputated part is sent to the hospital with the casualty.

Lets look at other first aid techniques in the blogs to follow....

Help Accident Victims

I recently read a news article about the accident of a woman, on the streets of Mumbai, and the indifference with which the people treat such cases. The article describes how the people turned a blind eye towards such accidents. How can anyone just ignore a person who lies dying on the road? People of India are known for their caring and helpful nature. Is this how the country shows its development? By turning a blind eye when one lies in a death bed.. What could be the reasons for such behavior?

Some surveys have shown that some people prefer not to involve themselves in such situations for fear of the harassment by the Hospitals and the Police aftermath. I am not trying to find fault with anyone here, but just a look into how the situation can be changed. Many surveys have revealed that the people of India are afraid of the Police. The main reason being as to how they are being portrayed in the films. Though some films portray cops as heroes, most of the films show them as people who accept bribes, do jobs only if politically and personally favorable. But, sometimes it reflects the reality. The Government should take strict measures to weed out such cops who hinder the development of the country. The politicians should be responsible enough to take such measures and going in the same thread, the people should elect proper leaders.

So, finally it comes down to the common man to make the difference. Lets come back to the issue at hand. Some of the small things you could do in cases of emergencies...

• Immediately rush the victim to the nearby hospital, and ask the doctor to go through the medical needs. Many people have the wrong notion that hospitals, should not or do not allow the accident victims treatment until it is informed to the police and the FIR is shown. For your information these are the rules, the Indian law observes...
  

1. “Every injured citizen brought for medical treatment should instantaneously be given medical aid to preserve life and thereafter the procedural criminal law should be allowed to operate in order to avoid negligent death. There is no legal impediment for a medical professional when he is called upon or requested to attend to an injured person needing his medical assistance immediately. The effort to save the person should be the top priority not only of the medical professional but even of the police or any other citizen who happens to be connected with that matter or who happens to notice such an incident or a situation”.
2. “There are no provisions in the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code, Motor Vehicles Act, which prevents doctors from promptly attending to serious injured persons and accident cases before arrival of the police and their taking into cognizance of such cases, preparation of FIR and other formalities by Police.”

• Administer First Aid
  
• Incase you don't have a transportation medium for taking the victim to the hospital, sought the help of the vehicles which are passing by... Here again comes the second issue. Mostly many people don't want to offer help to these victime due to fear of spoiling their upholstery. Is the life of a fellow being less than the upholestry? Just give a moment of thought about it... Better, all the vehicles can be equipped with a stain free material to be used in such cases of emergency. A small thought - The Government should make it mandatory for all the vehicles to be equipped with such materials, apart from the tool kit, First Aid box. Atleast then, there won't be such complaints. Such small amendments can make huge impacts.

"Ask not what the country has done for you, but what you can do for the country"

Remember your small help can save the life of a person and the grief of many others.