A total of 42 persons donated blood during a camp held at Swami Vivekananda Vidyamandir Senior Secondary School at Harveypatti here on Friday.
Organised by SAKSHAM, a social voluntary organisation, the camp was held on the occasion of World Thalassemia Day. Volunteers from Jeeva Nadhi Trust participated in the camp.
A mobile blood collection van of Government Rajaji Hospital was deployed and medical staff from the hospital assisted.
S. Govindaraj, national joint general secretary of SAKSHAM, said it was difficult to get donors for patients suffering from Thalassemia. “It is a blood disorder necessitating regular blood transfusions. It is one among the 21 types of disability recognised by the government. But many patients suffering from Thalassemia struggle to find donors during the lockdown,” he said.
He said that all donors were screened before donation of blood. They were asked whether they had any contact with COVID-19 positive patients or any travel history. It was ensured that all had face masks and washed their hands before donating blood.
The fear that blood donation during the current crisis would make donors susceptible to COVID-19 infection was completely unfounded, said S. Ganesh Murugan, founder of Jeeva Nadhi Trust.
