Partnerships for organizing blood donation camp: An experience from rural North India

BACKGROUND Rural areas pose challenges for motivating villagers to donate blood. We organized a blood donation camp in a rural setting by engaging multiple stakeholders. We examined the factors that influenced blood donation. METHODS Local level stakeholders were involved in planning of the camp. Mobilization of donors was attempted through intensive awareness generation activities utilizing multiple channels. A list of willing blood donors was prepared. RESULTS Out of 152 willing donors, 88 reported to donation camp, and after screening, 67 donated the blood. Most of the willing donors were males (89.8%), and the mean standard deviation age was 31.9 (9.4) years. Deferral rate was 23.8%. Involvement of local stakeholders can result in creating a pool of donors in rural area which can mitigate the existing gap between demand and supply of blood in India.