Bengaluru: There has been a sharp decline of at least 50% in voluntary blood donations after the Covid-19 pandemic in the city over the past few years.Experts attribute the decline to a mix of work-from-home arrangements, shifting lifestyles, and emerging health concerns — factors that have disrupted traditional donation channels in a city where demand for blood remains consistently high.Explaining the trend, Deepak Suman, camp coordinator at Lions Blood Centre, Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, said corporate offices and colleges — long relied on for donation drives — are no longer yielding the same response. “Colleges and IT companies are our backbone when it comes to blood donations. Due to work-from-home routines now, we hardly see people coming to the office and donating. In the same companies where we used to get 250-300 units before, we only get 20-30 units now. HR representatives insist on organising the camps for two days, but even then, the collections are few and far between,” he said.On college campuses, organisers say students are willing to volunteer for donation drives but hesitate to donate blood themselves. “Most students now go to the gym and are very focused on being fit. They think that if they donate blood, they will either lose weight or cannot go to the gym for a long time. Some change their minds when we explain that it does not have any impact on their weight and they only need a day or two’s rest; others still hesitate,” said Dr Girish CJ, nodal officer, Narayana Hrudayalaya blood bank.Health factors are also increasingly limiting donor eligibility, particularly among younger populations. “After Covid, hypertension has increased in younger people, and it affects their eligibility to donate. In women, almost one in two is below the prescribed haemoglobin range and thus we cannot take blood from them too,” Dr Girish said.Experts note that even under normal circumstances, densely populated regions like Bengaluru face a persistent mismatch between blood supply and demand. The current dip in donors could strain availability, especially as medical advancements increase the need for a steady supply.“In an Indian context, the demand for blood will always outrun supply, especially with all the medical innovations now that require a steady supply of blood. The need for blood is always on the rise. We need more push from the govt and general awareness among people to ensure good supply,” said Dr Anbarasan T, junior consultant, department of transfusion medicine, Gleneagles BGS Hospital, Kengeri.Scamsters exploit desperationAmid the shortage, organisers have flagged a growing scam targeting families in urgent need of blood. “One of the reasons we don’t get blood in time is traffic as Bengaluru is a big city. These days, some people respond to our calls for blood and say they will come and even bring two other people with them. They ask the recipient’s family to give them money for fuel. In desperation, the family gives them money and then, the scamsters become unresponsive,” said Alphonse Kurian Kamicheri, chairperson, blood donation committee, Lion’s Club of Bangalore, Sanjaynagar.He added that ensuring better availability of blood could help curb such frauds and urged families not to make payments for voluntary donations.
