Students' Blood Group

 Written by: Muhammad Nasir Sirat

 Some students face an accident while having fun or on the way to school and need to go to the hospital. If such students need blood and their blood type is not determined, what problems could they face, and how we could test the blood group of school students?

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people about this issue.

Firdaus, a resident of Kabul city says, “I am an eighth-grade student. One day, during playing on the ground in the schoolyard, I fell on the ground, and blood was flowing from my nose. They took me to the hospital and I have to take blood but as my blood group was not determined, and no one was able to donate blood to me and I faced many more health problems.”

Bushra Sediqi says, “Once one of my friends had a car accident and she lost more blood and she needed to transfuse blood but as her blood group was determined, she was on the brink of death.” 

Doctor Faridullah Omary, an infectious disease specialist at Kabul  Infectious Disease Hospital says, “Blood type determination is vital for students. When a student needs blood transfusion and when his/her blood group is not determined, and it might take more than two hours to test his/her blood group and this is a long time and the student might lose his/her life and if they transfuse blood to him/her lately, he/she might face anemia in the future.”

How could students solve this issue?

Bahadur Khan, a headmaster of one of the schools in Kabul city says, “We have signed a contract with a private hospital and they test the blood group of our school’s students free of charge.”

Benafsha, an eleventh-grade student says, “Determining blood group is vital for every person and of our home’s members have determined their blood group.”

Doctor Faridullah Omary says, “: Determining blood type is vital. Schools’ administrations, families, and students have to determine their blood type and it is a very simple process and could be done in any health clinic.”

What do people think about the importance of blood group determination?

Abdul Salam, a resident of Paghman district, Kabul province says, “I had tested the blood group of my family members. Once one of my children was sick and we took him to Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital. He needed blood and as we have already tested it, they transfused blood to him and he recovered from his sickness soon.”

Rahmani, a school principal says, “We have already tested the blood group of our school students. If any of them needs blood, another student gets ready to donate him his blood.”

Doctor Omary says, “The importance of knowing your blood type is to prevent the risk of you receiving an incompatible blood type at a time of need, such as during a blood transfusion or surgery. If two different blood types are mixed, it can lead to clumping of blood cells that can be potentially fatal.