Residents Rush to Donate Blood After Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Tanisha Shah, 19, had never donate blood before. But when she saw an urgent appeal on social media Thursday afternoon requesting donate blood for victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash, she didn’t hesitate. Driven by a sense of urgency, the BBA student from Vastrapur wasted no time and headed straight to the Indian Red Cross Society’s center located in Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, determined to do their part in the ongoing donate blood effort.
Throughout Ahmedabad, hundreds shared the same determination. As news of the crash spread and concerns over mass casualties grew, the people of Gujarat responded with calm urgency. From young teens to senior citizens, from professionals to homemakers, citizens hurried to donate blood banks across the city.
With in just five hours, the Red Cross centre in Navrangpura gathered 550 units of donate blood — breaking all past records for the highest number of donations in a single day at a single centre in the city.
It was one of the most touching moments of my professional life, said Dr. Vishvas Amin service as a security of society (Indian Red Cross) in Ahemdabad
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“People kept coming continuously—some directly from their workplaces, others from home. There were no celebrations or banners, just a collective sense of duty. We’ve held big donation drives during festivals before, but this was something else. Gathering 550 units in five hours is a record—and donors are still arriving,” he said.
Ahmedabad typically needs between 5,000 and 6,000 units of donate blood each day, but supplies had dropped to alarming levels—below 2,000 units. Hospital records show that as of June 11, Civil Hospital was facing a severe shortage: just 3 units of AB-, 9 of O-, 6 of A-, 16. There were 25 units of AB+, 47 of A+, and 184 units of O+ available.
A senior official from the hospital’s blood bank, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed concern about the limited supply of O- negative blood.
The official stated that O- negative blood is the universal donor blood type, meaning it can be given to patients of any donate blood group. That’s why our top priority was to gather as much O-negative as possible before a large influx of victims begins, the official explained.
Although the hospital didn’t disclose the exact number of units collected on Thursday, officials confirmed that by late afternoon, the amount had more than doubled compared to earlier days. However, the issue isn’t just about quantity—the crisis runs deeper.
Every unit takes a minimum of 45 minutes to be tested before it’s ready for use, the official explained.
In emergencies like this, we usually don’t have the luxury of separating donate blood into components like plasma or platelets. We have to use whole donate blood units because time is critical. Every minute matters when lives are at stake.
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