Marking the birthday of Nobel laureate Karl landsteiner, who discovered the ABO blood group system, the World Blood Donor Day was celebrated by the Indian Red Cross Society, Odisha State branch, in collaboration with the Odisha State AIDS Control Society (OSACS), the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC), the Commissionerate Police, the Red Cross Blood Banks, Capital Hospital and BMC Hospital and the Central Red Cross Blood Bank, Cuttack at the Jayadev Bhavan on Sunday.
The theme of this year’s campaign was “Thank you for saving my life" in recognition of the blood donors who save lives every day by donating blood and encouraging more people to donate blood voluntarily and regularly. Minister, School & Mass Education and Industries Debi Prasad Mishra, who inaugurated the State-level function, said the Red Cross movement for mobilisation of blood donation in the State is praiseworthy. “We have a shortfall of 30 per cent blood units per year in Odisha. We must take it to 100 per cent soon. Through enhanced voluntarism, we can easily make up the deficit," he said, adding that on order to achieve the requirement of blood, awareness should be created among public on voluntary blood donation by all including youths and Junior Red Cross and Red Cross volunteers.
SBTC Director Dr Rajalaxmi Mohanty and OSACS Project Director Babji Charan Dash highlighted the objectives of the event. Red Cross State Branch Secretary Dr Chakradhar Panda said that contrary to popular perception, a person's health does not deteriorate after donating blood. Regular blood donation is a reliable way of updating oneself on one's health condition. It secures a person from heart attacks, diabetics and hypertension. It is a good way of burning calories and, moreover, having the supreme satisfaction of saving lives, he added.
On the occasion, 26 regular voluntary unpaid blood donors (one male, one female) from each Red Cross Blood Bank of the State, who donated the highest units of blood in the years 2010 to 2014 and in the year 2014, were felicitated. To create wider awareness on the importance of voluntary blood donation, voluntary blood donation camps were organised at the Red Cross Bhavan, Bhubaneswar, as well as at Niali and Mahanadi Viahr, where about 500 units of blood were collected. An opening song and cultural programme were performed at State-level function by little Kar, a Thalassemia patient and her team as a benefited patient motivator, receiving regular blood transfusion for her survival.