Doctor donates blood 120 times

Kathmandu, June 10 (UNI) A medical doctor in Nepal has donated blood 120 times becoming the highest blood donor of the Himalayan nation.

Dr Ananda Shrestha has donated blood 120 times while a woman Nita Ghiraiya has donated blood 96 times, becoming one of the highest women blood donors even internationally.

According to Blood Donors Association, there are about 50 people, who have donated blood for more than 25 times, local media reports said.

Of the total donors, 88 per cent of the donors are men and 80 per cent of the users are women.

The demand for blood has increased in the past few years, however, only 0.4 per cent donate blood in the country.

''If only two per cent of the population start donating blood there would be sufficient blood'', President of Blood Donors&Association of Nepal Mahindra Bilas Joshi is quoted by state media.

Joshi said about 1,200 pints of blood were collected in a week but the demand is 1,400 to 1,500 pints.

''Sometime we have to urgently call the regular blood donors and sometimes we provide blood from our stock taking blood from the patients' friends and relatives as replacement.

UNI