On February 1, 2014 Sankalp's Rakta Kranti team reached a special landmark - the collection of 10,000+ units of blood in 10 months of the ongoing financial year.
On April 1, 2013 at the dawn of the new financial year, when last year's numbers were put away and the scoreboards were reset to 0 there was one big target to achieve - ensure a constant supply of blood based on seasonal needs. The team was galvanised to design methods of achieving them. The focus was on safer, stronger blood donation drives. It was about fighting the summer and winter shortage. It was about nullifying the effect of dengue. It was rather like preparing for a marathon. How big a marathon? - we never knew! Aiming for the marathon is a task of sorts which can include terrific highs and lows.
Over the last 10 months, we have experienced those highs and lows like never before. Today as we look back we have crossed the 10k barrier for the year. Although it has not wiped off extreme situations, these units of blood have come as a big relief to plenty of patients. If nothing, it has given us the belief that the marathon is not really about the marathon, it's about the shared struggle. And it's not only the marathon, but the training. It is time that we credit the people who made this happen.
Training programs, well documented policies for work are being introduced to enhance quality in blood donation drives. Technical papers on best practices to be followed are being authored by Sankalp volunteers in close coordination with experts from Blood transfusion medicine. Now, a full time employee has also joined us only for scheduling and organising blood donation drives.
