World Blood Donor Day is celebrated to create awareness about the importance of voluntary blood donation and encourage more people, especially the Youth, to become regular blood donors who donate two or three times in a year. Apart from encouraging people, 14th June is a day when the individuals who have saved lives by donating blood and become super hero are thanked and acknowledged.
Taking the same spirit ahead Sankalp planned an elaborate World Blood Donor Week at MSR Hospital and MSR Group of Institutions to carry forward the message. The MSR Hospital Group invited Kannada movie star Raghavendra Rajkumar to inaugurate the World Blood Donor Week. He was given a complete tour around the blood bank showing all the facilities available in the blood bank for testing, storage and component separation, following which he was led into the donation room, where he spent quality time talking to the donors and also congratulated them for donating blood and saving another person’s life. When asked if he would donate blood on the occasion of WBDD, he declined the request saying that he had donated just the previous month on the occasion of his father, Late Dr. Rajkumar’s birthday. But he made a promise that he would donate on 15th August as per his routine every year.
Then the inauguration started off with a devotional song by one of the doctors of Ramaiah Hospital, followed by candle lighting ceremony. After this, when asked to say a few words on this occasion, Mr. Raghavendra Rajkumar conveyed a heartfelt message to all the regular donors and motivated them to continue the noble work. He said “Everyone in my family is a regular donor who donates thrice a year, i.e, on the occasion of Dr. Rajkumar and his wife Mrs. Parvatamma Rajkumar's birthdays and on 15th August”. He included a note on eye donation and organ donation, with a few excerpts from his father's life when he had agreed to donate his eyes.
Finally when Sankalp told him about the State-wide helpline, he showed good interest in the idea and asked a few details for him to take the message forward. Overall, with enough media coverage and the efforts of Ramaiah Group and Sankalp, we hope to have conveyed our heartfelt wishes to all the real-life heroes who donate blood to save lives. :)
This was followed by Blood Donation Drive and a Blood Grouping Drive in M. S. Ramaiah Dental College. Dental College was the pioneer college in our week long plan for Grouping and Donation drives. The drive started a little late at around 2.30pm and went on till 4.30pm on 14th June. Due to exams and other factors, there were a handful of heroes who came forward for the blood donation drive on that day, but truly holding on to the spirit of World Blood Donor Day.
Adding to all this were well designed posters that were put up in the blood bank and in the MSR campus to make people aware of the World Blood Donor Week celebration. Colleges in the MSR Group were given an opportunity to hold a blood donation drive/ conduct a grouping program. The blood grouping program is again wihin itself a unique Sankalp initiative where donors would not only get to know their group, they would also get information leaflets on blood donation, donors with a low Hb count will get a handout on how to improve their Hb and so on. It is a complete donor motivation and information program aimed at building blood donors. Unfortunately due to exams and vacations at this time the program could not be held anywhere.
The week came to a wonderful and meaningful end with a Donor Felicitation program on 17th June. The guest of honor was Mr. Gurukiran, a famous Kannada Film Industry Music Director. The programme started with an inaugural song by one of the Hospital Staff. All the guests on stage were then welcomed to the programme along with a brief talk about the need for voluntary blood donation and the necessity of safe blood for patients.
Following this, Dr. Nanda Kishore told about the achievements of M. S. Ramaiah Blood Bank. The growth of blood bank from a Ramaiah hospital based blood bank to a blood bank serving more than 200 hospitals and nursing homes in North Bangalore. He also mentioned that a few hospitals from East and South Bangalore also depend on this blood bank for blood during emergencies. When they got the Apheresis machine in the blood bank, Dr. Nanda Kishore expressed his happiness and pride saying that upto 95% of blood coming to the blood bank now undergoes component separation. On this occasion, after noting all the achievements, he concluded by thanking his ever supporting staff members from the blood bank and dedicated equal share of success to them. :)
Ramya, a volunteer of Sankalp, took the audience attending the felicitation programme through the journey of M. S. Ramaiah Memorial Blood Donation Services (MSRMBDS), the concept of bridging the gap between the M. S. Ramaiah Blood Bank and the M. S. Ramaiah educational institutions inside the same campus. The basis for starting MSRMBDS, being the effort to reduce a replacement based blood bank to a voluntary blood bank, was being stressed upon. By showing the statistics about the difference in the need and the current status, and the differences in contributions of different institutions in the same campus, Ramya emphasized the fact that 100% voluntary blood donation can only be achieved by joint working of all the stake holders involved.
Selected donors who have donated in extreme conditions were then felicitated by providing a memento. When asked to share a few words with the rest of the people, one of the donors’ said “Blood Donation brings a feel-good factor in me. I started off with a casual donation in college days with a few friends. Later when I saw the help that blood provided patients and the blessings they showered upon me inspired me to be a regular donor. I wish everyone discovers this happiness by being regular blood donors themselves”.
Following that Rajat, a volunteer of Sankalp, again addressed the crowd regarding voluntary blood donation and the importance of each and every person in this regard. We hope that our presentations serve as a lubricant to the wheels that have started moving in the institutions inside the M. S. Ramaiah campus since 2007. By taking a step towards felicitating donors (around 20 donors among thousands and more), we are ensuring that real heroes are recognized everywhere for their act of saving someone’s life!! :)