Question 1

Who can donate blood in India?

Accepted Answer

Under India's national guideline, whole-blood donors are generally aged 18 to 65 (first-time donors up to 60), weigh at least 45 kg, have haemoglobin of at least 12.5 g/dL and are in good health on the day. The medical officer at the blood centre makes the final decision.

Question 2

How often can I donate blood?

Accepted Answer

For whole blood, the national guideline sets a minimum gap of 3 months (90 days) for men and 4 months (120 days) for women. Donating platelets or plasma by apheresis follows different, shorter limits set by the blood centre.

Question 3

What happens before I donate?

Accepted Answer

You register, have a short talk about the process, answer a health questionnaire and are checked by a doctor — weight, pulse, blood pressure, temperature and haemoglobin. You then give written consent. Eat a normal meal beforehand; donors should not be fasting.

Question 4

Is blood donation safe?

Accepted Answer

Donation is a safe procedure when it is done at a licensed blood centre by trained staff. Some donors can feel faint or have a reaction, and staff are trained to manage this, so tell them straight away if you feel unwell. Every donation is also tested for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and malaria before it is used.

Question 5

Does donating blood hurt?

Accepted Answer

You may feel the needle when it goes in, but the donation itself should not be painful. Tell the staff straight away if you feel pain, dizziness or unwell. The whole visit typically takes about an hour and the donation itself usually 5 to 10 minutes, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (UK).

Question 6

What should I do after donating blood?

Accepted Answer

Drink plenty of fluids, avoid heavy work, and don't smoke or drive immediately afterwards. Remove the adhesive dressing after about 6 hours. If your job is hazardous, don't return to it for at least 24 hours. Contact the blood centre if you feel unwell.

Question 7

Can I donate if I am taking medication?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the medicine and the reason you take it. Under the national guideline, many common medicines such as vitamins and oral contraceptives are accepted, while antibiotics mean waiting 2 weeks after the last dose. Some medicines rule out donation, so tell the blood centre's doctor about everything you take — the decision is theirs.

Question 8

Can I donate if I recently had an illness?

Accepted Answer

Usually you need to wait until you have fully recovered. For a cold or flu that means until symptoms have gone and there is no fever. After malaria the guideline asks for 3 months, after dengue or chikungunya 6 months, and after typhoid 12 months, each counted from full recovery. The blood centre will advise you.

Question 9

Can I donate after a tattoo or piercing?

Accepted Answer

In India, the national guideline postpones donation for 12 months after a tattoo, body piercing, acupuncture or a similar invasive cosmetic procedure. Rules in other countries differ, so follow the Indian guideline and your blood centre.

Question 10

Can women donate blood?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if they meet the same criteria — age 18 to 65, weight of at least 45 kg and haemoglobin of at least 12.5 g/dL — with a minimum gap of 4 months between whole-blood donations. Donation is postponed during menstruation, and for 12 months after childbirth or while breastfeeding within that time. It is postponed for 6 months after an abortion.

Question 11

Which blood groups are compatible?

Accepted Answer

For red cells, O-negative can be given to any group and AB-positive patients can receive from any group; the chart on this page shows every pairing. Plasma follows different rules, and the blood centre always tests and cross-matches each unit, so a chart is for understanding, not for choosing a donor.

Question 12

What is the difference between whole blood, platelets and plasma?

Accepted Answer

Whole blood is the usual donation of 350 ml or 450 ml, which is separated into components so it can help several patients. Platelets help blood clot and last only 5 days at a blood centre. Plasma is the liquid part of blood, stored frozen for up to a year. Platelets and plasma can also be donated by apheresis, which takes about 1 to 1.5 hours.

Question 13

How can I request blood on The Life Savers?

Accepted Answer

Sign in, open Community and choose ‘Need blood urgently?’. A three-step form asks who needs blood, where, and how donors can reach you. When you publish, the request appears in Community chat and an alert goes to registered donors with a compatible blood group who have marked themselves available near you. We connect people — we are not a blood bank, and we can't guarantee that a donor is available. Also contact the hospital's blood bank, and use the government's e-RaktKosh portal to look up blood centres.

Question 14

What information is needed to request blood?

Accepted Answer

Blood group, patient name, number of units (1 to 10), hospital, state, district, city and pincode, a contact number, and the time blood is needed by, which must be at least 15 minutes ahead. You can add notes such as a landmark or ward. A new request can be published once every 15 minutes.

Question 15

How does a donor respond to a blood request?

Accepted Answer

Matching donors can receive a notification and open the request in Community, which shows the hospital, location and needed-by time with a button to call the requester. Donation itself happens at the hospital or a licensed blood centre after its eligibility check — never privately arranged. The requester marks the request fulfilled when it is done.

Question 16

How does location affect donor discovery?

Accepted Answer

We alert matching donors by pincode first, then by city, then by district, using the location each donor saved in their profile. If no compatible, available donor is registered nearby, nobody may be alerted — after you publish, the app tells you how many donors were reached, or that none were.

Question 17

How does lab test booking work?

Accepted Answer

Search for a test or package, choose a lab, add it to your cart and enter your details, including the pincode. Where the lab offers home sample collection you can choose it — some offers are lab-visit only. You pay online and can follow the order from your account.

Question 18

How do I choose a test or package?

Accepted Answer

Start from your doctor's advice or prescription and compare what each package includes and its price. We don't diagnose or recommend tests, and a booking is not a substitute for a doctor's consultation — your doctor decides which tests you need.

Question 19

How do I receive my reports?

Accepted Answer

Each test shows its usual report time. You can follow your order through Placed, Order accepted, Sample collected, In progress and Report ready. When it shows Report ready, open the report from your order history. Reports come from the partner lab; we don't interpret results, so please discuss them with your doctor.

Question 20

What should I check before booking a test?

Accepted Answer

Check that the lab serves your pincode, whether the offer is home collection or lab visit only, the total price, and any preparation instructions for the test — such as fasting — given by your doctor or the lab. Follow those instructions.