ITANAGAR, 3 Oct: The Arunachal Pradesh State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC), along with 14 blood centres across the state joined the rest of the nation in celebrating the National Voluntary Blood Donation Day on 1 October.
The day is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of Dr Jai Gopal Jolly, an internationally known expert in the field of blood transfusion, and one who pioneered the voluntary blood donation movement and campaigned to prohibit sale and purchase of blood fromprofessional donors in India.
On this day, all over the nation, voluntary blood donor organisations are felicitated for their altruistic act of conducting blood donation camps, thus saving many lives needing blood transfusion.
The state level celebration of the National Voluntary Blood Donation Day was hosted at DK auditorium of the Legislative Assembly here.
The main highlight of the event was the felicitation of voluntary blood donor organisations, testimonies of prominent voluntary blood donors, and programmes with messages on promotion of voluntary blood donation. Also, a voluntary blood donation camp was arranged by the bloods centres of the TRIHMS and RK Mission Hospital.
Five prominent NGOs from the state which showed exemplary works in conducting voluntary blood donation camps were honoured with certificates and mementos by Health & Family Welfare Commissioner Pawan Kr Sain and Joint Director of Health Services Dr Komling Perme.
The prominent organisations who were awarded for their exemplary works in voluntary blood donation movement are: Arunachal Life Saving Foundation, Itanagar; Bhartiya Yuva Morcha, Papum Pare district; the youth wing of the Upper Subansiri Christian Revival Church Council; the NSS unit of Saint Claret College, Ziro; and 58th Battalion ITBP, Roing.
Sain in his addressed urged all healthy individuals to donate blood, saying that blood donation is not only beneficial to one’s health but also saves precious human lives in times of medical emergencies.
Perme spoke about the role of NGOs in smooth delivery of blood transfusion service. “No voluntary blood donor means we cannot transfuse blood to save patients’ live; so, synergy of all stakeholders is vital for the ecosystem of blood transfusion,” he said.
SBTC Deputy Director Dr Joram Khopey highlighted the importance of the day and the blood transfusion scenario of the state, and emphasized on the need for involvement of the local populace in the drive of voluntary blood donation.
He thanked CBOs and FBOs for conducting blood donation drives, and urged other like-minded CBOs, FBOs and student organizations to donate blood to save lives.
Various stakeholders, including members of the Galo Welfare Society attended the celebration and donated blood.
Other organizations, like the IRCS, the Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Association, and Oju Mission Welfare Association also participated with enthusiasm.
A cultural programme highlighting the essence of blood donation was presented by Rupung SHG.
