Ludhiana, June 14
To commemorate the birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, the father of Transfusion Medicine, the International Blood Donation Day was celebrated at Dayanand Medical College and hospital (DMCH) under the aegis of the health education cell.
The chief guest, Mr Prem Gupta, secretary, managing society of the hospital, and the guest of honour, Dr L.S. Chawla, former Principal of DMCH and founder Vice-Chancellor of the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, gave away awards to over 50 distinguished blood donors and organisations that had been contributing to the success of the blood donation movement.
Among the donors, recognised at the function, were representatives from educational institutions, industrial and business houses, service clubs, youth sports clubs, charitable institutions and other welfare associations from all over Punjab.
Mr Sudhir Modgil, who has donated blood 89 times, along with Dr Sandeep Puri, Dr J.S. Sekhon, Dr G.S. Bajwa, Dr S. Budhiraja, Dr Rajesh Arya, all of whom have donated blood for more than 25 times, were also honoured at the function.
Dr J.G. Jolly, Professor Emeritus, PGIMER, Chandigarh, delivered a guest lecture on this occasion. Dr Rajoo Singh Chhina, Medical Superintendent of DMCH, remarked that among the various blood centres in the region, the Department of Transfusion Medicine in this institution could be adjudged as the leading centre of academic activities in this field.
A serious effort was being made to raise the status of the department so as to ensure the feasibility of introducing post-graduate training programme in this speciality.
Dr Daljit Singh, Principal, Dr Sandeep Puri, Medical Superintendent and Dr Amarjit Kaur, Head, Department of Transfusion Medicine at DMCH, were among others present at the function.
Meanwhile, Mr Anurag Verma, Deputy Commissioner, has exhorted the NGOs, medical associations and religious institutions to come forward for the promotion of the noble cause of blood donation.
He was addressing a well-attended function organised to mark the International Blood Donation Day before inaugurating a mass blood donation camp organised by Sant Nirankari Mandal at Nirankari Bhawan here.
More than 400 persons donated blood at the camp which was handed over to blood banks in different city hospitals, including those run by District Red Cross Society, Dr B.L. Kapoor Memorial Hospital, Deepak Hospital and Guru Teg Bhadhaur Charitable Hospital.
Mr Verma stressed the need to create awareness among the masses about blood donation, since a single unit of blood could save a life.
Giving details of the contribution of the District Red Cross Society in providing blood to the needy patients, the Deputy Commissioner informed that during last year, 40 blood donation camps were organised and 4257 units of blood were collected which included replacement and voluntary blood donations.
Out of these, 341 units of blood were collected for the Thalassaemic patients.
Mr H.S. Chawla, Zonal Incharge, Sant Nirankari Mandal, Punjab Zone, said the mandal was organising such blood donation camps since 1986 and till date 28,734 units of blood were collected by organising 140 camps.
