The role of the youth in voluntary blood donation was stressed at a leadership and motivation programme for college students here on Sunday.
The programme organised by the Kerala Blood Donors Society and the Vidya Social Circle, Staff Learning Centre, State Bank of Travancore (SBT), was inaugurated by Samkutty Mathews, General Manager, SBT and was aimed at developing student motivators for blood donation.
Thomas Mathew, Principal, Government Medical College, in his keynote address, said that in one’s lifetime, a person could give life to 500 others through blood donation. Similarly, one could give life to at least 12 others by donating organs.
ADVERTISEMENT
In his session, Ratheesh S., society organising secretary, urged the students to take the initiative to mobilise the youth to donate blood. Each student should have a list of people who could donate blood, he said. He also called for gauging the requirement for blood accurately before donating blood.
Surendran Chunakkara, public relations officer, Regional Cancer Centre, said only one-tenth of the transfusion requirement was being met in the country.