padmanabha
14th August 2006, 10:40 PM
[tscii:74ceddb9a7]That was an unprecedented event. Women of Manickal Panchayat in Vamanapuram have voluntarily come forward to donate blood after attending an awareness program and they have formed a women’s blood donor’s forum under the aegis of Kerala Mahila Samakhya SOCIETY [KMSS]. The forum consists of 120 women donors. It is one of its kinds in KERALA nay India.
In spite of high literacy the percentage of women donors is less. Why?
“There are several social taboos that prevent women from donating blood. The awareness level was very low. Most of them are unaware of their own blood groups and are afraid of post donation effects. Lack of motivation is the main reason” said Dr K.Mohan Das Project officer CACEE, UNIVERSITY OF Kerala and the Vice-Chairman of All Kerala Blood Donors Society.
Regarding the camp at the Manickal Panchayat, he said “the responses and reactions were very encouraging. The women were made aware of the need for blood donation and we could wipe out the wrong notions and misconception regarding blood donation. Now they are mentally prepared to donate blood”
Selected people from this group were given training and now they are capable of taking classes at family meetings. It is also a step for identifying leadership qualities and acquiring the ability to react in the right moment.
“To sustain interest we require continuous monitoring. We must respect and recognize the blood best blood motivators and the donors at the Grama panchayat and district levels. It should be like the literary campaign” added Mohandas.
“Our objectives are to motivate people to donate blood voluntarily, create awareness in the society in science of blood and blood donation, make people aware of the Safe Blood Transfusion, conduct blood donation camps throughout the year for Government Blood Banks, organize training programs for blood donor motivators, motivate the donors of tomorrow, propagate the message of optimum utilization of blood amongst the blood users, and to fight against the superstition and social taboos” said the organizers of KMSS. The society held classes for the sangha women and the adolescent girls. ‘To our surprise 54 women and 38 adolescent girls expressed their willingness to donate blood. On 25th of March 19 women donated blood in a camp conducted by Sri Chithira Tirunal Institute of Medical sciences.
“The sevinis [the field workers] are now propagating the need for donating blood in other Panchayats. On the very day of the camp, two sangha women donated blood Alliyadu Madhavan Pillai a social activist. In the evening two other women donated blood to a leukemia patient at RCC” the organizers say.
According to Dr. Mohan Das,
this programme is a unique one in the history of Blood Donation because this Program is for women, by women & of the women. If we can give proper awareness classes to the rural women, they can be easily motivated. Here the coordinating effort or collaborating agencies from the side of officials is to be noted. Agencies like Sree Chithira Thirunnal Institute of Medical Sciences, Termo Penpol, District Implementation Unit & State Implementation Unit of KMSS, Vamanapuram Block Officials and Officials of Mannickkal Panchayath are the driving force. The demand for blood exceeds the supply.
Dr. Rani, of Kerala Preventive Clinic, Manacaud a Resource Person of KMSS said “It was an exciting experience. In spite of illiteracy the rural women were keen to know abut blood donation. They immediately translated their ideas into practice by donating blood.”
Cases of anemia are very high in Kerala. The level of hemoglobinis less than 10 always and this is one of the easily preventable and curable diseases. Intake of good food especially leafy vegetables can prevent anemia. But women always neglect themselves when it comes to food. They feed the men as they are the bread winners and in most cases they have to satisfy with whatever little is left. This kind of attitude begins at a very early stage and the girl children are poorly fed. This cycle continues. The men too never bother to find out whether the women in the family are well fed. In many houses are men are fed first and whatever left is shared by the women. In fact women need adequate nutritive food especially during pregnancy, delivery and lactation. If the percentage of hemoglobin is less the woman cannot withstand bleeding during delivery. Also the instances of cervical cancer are very high in Kerala. The condition is so pathetic that most of the women are unaware of even their blood group. How many government hospitals posses the facility to identify the blood group?
Anita Kumari the field worker at the Manickal Panchayat, remarked that if rural women were guided properly they indeed bring revolutions” [783 WORDS]
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In spite of high literacy the percentage of women donors is less. Why?
“There are several social taboos that prevent women from donating blood. The awareness level was very low. Most of them are unaware of their own blood groups and are afraid of post donation effects. Lack of motivation is the main reason” said Dr K.Mohan Das Project officer CACEE, UNIVERSITY OF Kerala and the Vice-Chairman of All Kerala Blood Donors Society.
Regarding the camp at the Manickal Panchayat, he said “the responses and reactions were very encouraging. The women were made aware of the need for blood donation and we could wipe out the wrong notions and misconception regarding blood donation. Now they are mentally prepared to donate blood”
Selected people from this group were given training and now they are capable of taking classes at family meetings. It is also a step for identifying leadership qualities and acquiring the ability to react in the right moment.
“To sustain interest we require continuous monitoring. We must respect and recognize the blood best blood motivators and the donors at the Grama panchayat and district levels. It should be like the literary campaign” added Mohandas.
“Our objectives are to motivate people to donate blood voluntarily, create awareness in the society in science of blood and blood donation, make people aware of the Safe Blood Transfusion, conduct blood donation camps throughout the year for Government Blood Banks, organize training programs for blood donor motivators, motivate the donors of tomorrow, propagate the message of optimum utilization of blood amongst the blood users, and to fight against the superstition and social taboos” said the organizers of KMSS. The society held classes for the sangha women and the adolescent girls. ‘To our surprise 54 women and 38 adolescent girls expressed their willingness to donate blood. On 25th of March 19 women donated blood in a camp conducted by Sri Chithira Tirunal Institute of Medical sciences.
“The sevinis [the field workers] are now propagating the need for donating blood in other Panchayats. On the very day of the camp, two sangha women donated blood Alliyadu Madhavan Pillai a social activist. In the evening two other women donated blood to a leukemia patient at RCC” the organizers say.
According to Dr. Mohan Das,
this programme is a unique one in the history of Blood Donation because this Program is for women, by women & of the women. If we can give proper awareness classes to the rural women, they can be easily motivated. Here the coordinating effort or collaborating agencies from the side of officials is to be noted. Agencies like Sree Chithira Thirunnal Institute of Medical Sciences, Termo Penpol, District Implementation Unit & State Implementation Unit of KMSS, Vamanapuram Block Officials and Officials of Mannickkal Panchayath are the driving force. The demand for blood exceeds the supply.
Dr. Rani, of Kerala Preventive Clinic, Manacaud a Resource Person of KMSS said “It was an exciting experience. In spite of illiteracy the rural women were keen to know abut blood donation. They immediately translated their ideas into practice by donating blood.”
Cases of anemia are very high in Kerala. The level of hemoglobinis less than 10 always and this is one of the easily preventable and curable diseases. Intake of good food especially leafy vegetables can prevent anemia. But women always neglect themselves when it comes to food. They feed the men as they are the bread winners and in most cases they have to satisfy with whatever little is left. This kind of attitude begins at a very early stage and the girl children are poorly fed. This cycle continues. The men too never bother to find out whether the women in the family are well fed. In many houses are men are fed first and whatever left is shared by the women. In fact women need adequate nutritive food especially during pregnancy, delivery and lactation. If the percentage of hemoglobin is less the woman cannot withstand bleeding during delivery. Also the instances of cervical cancer are very high in Kerala. The condition is so pathetic that most of the women are unaware of even their blood group. How many government hospitals posses the facility to identify the blood group?
Anita Kumari the field worker at the Manickal Panchayat, remarked that if rural women were guided properly they indeed bring revolutions” [783 WORDS]
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