Need for awareness on blood, eye donation highlighted

People harbour misconceptions on this issue, says MIMS director

The blood donation camp was organised jointly by the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences and HDFC Bank in Mandya on Friday.

Eye and blood donation awareness campaigns should be taken up aggressively, felt Pushpa Sarkar, director of the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS).

She was speaking after inaugurating a blood donation camp organised with HDFC Bank at the district hospital’s blood bank here on Friday. Ms. Sarkar urged volunteers to come forward to help the needy.

MIMS and the district hospital have been organising eye and blood donation camps besides assisting private organisations in such programmes, she added.

Ms. Sarkar observed that people had misconceptions regarding eye and blood donation. Authorities should create awareness on this matter.

Speaking on the occasion, Ravikiran, assistant manager of the bank, said that the bank aimed to collect 1 lakh units of blood in 2013. “The bank has been holding blood donation camps across the country since 2007. A total of 4,385 units of blood were collected from 87 branches across the country in 2007. So far, the bank has collected 1,55,926 units of blood through such camps,” he said.

Bank manager P. Ratnakiran and assistant manager Harish Kumar, along with Manjunath and Madesh, doctors of MIMS, were present.

Red Cross camp

Meanwhile, another blood donation camp was held at Cauvery Park near the Deputy Commissioner’s office to mark B.R. Ambedkar Parinirvan Divas on Friday.

Mandya Superintendent of Police Bhushan Gulabrao Borase inaugurated a campaign to promote blood donation by voluntarily donating blood. Sixty-two others, including District Project Director Venkataravana Reddy followed his lead.

Mandya Deputy Commissioner B.N. Krishnaiah, Mandya Assistant Commissioner Shantha L. Hulmani, Mandya City Municipal Council president B. Siddaraju, district Kannada Sahitya Parishat president Meera Shivalingaiah, representatives and officials of Red Cross Society were present.

The camp received a good response from officials and the public.

It was organised by the Indian Red Cross Society, Mandya district administration, Social Welfare Department and Jeevadhare Trust.

A rally was also taken out on the occasion of Ambedkar Parinirvan Divas.