Posted by Haagen P. Cumlet

The Rotary Club of Dilkusha, District 3280, has set a goal of establishing the first Rotary-sponsored blood bank center in Bangladesh and is looking for one or more partners, club or district, home or abroad, the club's 2007-08 President, M. Khairul Alam, reports. Located in a commercial district of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, the Dilkusha RC holds several blood camps - for voluntary blood donation - a year in co-operation with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society.

Rotary Club of Dilkusha began organizing blood camps in collaboration with the Red Crescent Society soon after the club was chartered in 1995. "There was an urge among members to help out with a safe blood donation program," President M.Khairul Alam says. Now, this urge has developed into a wish to get involved in a major matching grant project for a Rotary blood bank in Dhaka.

 

"Safe blood screening is a constant problem, when Bangladesh is facing the threat of an impending HIV epidemic or other blood transmitted diseases," President, Khairul Alam points out. Only 35 percent of the national blood supply for medical transfusion in Bangladesh is available from voluntary blood donors. Concerns remain about professional blood donors who sell blood for money.

   

The authorities have initiated steps to clean up the country's blood procurement and supply systems. A government-sponsored blood safety program - Safe Blood Transfusion Programme (SBTP) - got off the ground in Bangladesh around the turn of the millennium with financial support of UNDP and has been assisted by the World Health Organization, WHO, since 2004.

 

Still, the amount of blood needed for transfusion in Bangladesh is far exceeding the actual donor blood available for patients, President M Khairul Alam points out. The result is prolonged illness - or worse, unnecessary death for many patients.

 

On average, the Dilkusha Rotary Club organizes 10 blood camps per year. Between July 2007 and April 2008, the club collected 1,552 bags of blood at seven different blood camps. The club's goal for 2007-08 is 2000 units of blood.

 

The club's blood camps may last several days or weeks at a time, and RC Dilkusha  has also been organizing blood donation drives in other parts of the country.

 

For several years now, the Dilkusha RC has won the award as the most effective blood collector among the 15-20 clubs, which participate in the blood donor drives in District 3280.

 

The club's statistics show, that Dilkusha RC collected approximately 15,000 bags of blood between July 1997 and December 2007.

 

In appreciation of their blood donation, voluntary donors at the Dilkusha RC blood camps are given snacks and a special mug with a printed Rotary logo, sponsored by the organizing club, which also pays the rent for camp locations and for preparing temporary sheds. According to President Khairul Alam, over the years this has amounted to 17,400 US Dollars (1,200,000 in the Bangladesh currency, Taka), which the club has raised among members and from contributions.

 

All the technical aspects of the blood collection at the Dilkusha RC blood camps are the responsibility of  the Red Crescent Society, including the preservation, testing and distribution to patients in need of blood transfusion.

 

To help promote voluntary blood donation, the World Blood Donor Day, June 14, has become a national event in Bangladesh with parades and meetings in the capital of Dhaka and a number of other cities around the country, organized by the Safe Blood Transfusion Programme of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Red Crescent Blood Centre and leading voluntary organizations, including Sandhani, Badhan, the Quantum Foundation and Rotary International.

 

Bangladeshis one of the poorest countries in the world and, with a population of estimated 150 million people, also one of the most densely populated. The country is subject to annual monsoon floods and cyclones.  According to a World Bank report, Bangladesh, Strategy for Sustained Growth, published in July 2007, the country could join the ranks of middle-income countries by 2016 or some time soon after.

 

Rotary District 3280 covers all of Bangladesh. The district has 151 clubs with around 4000 members.

 

Note: Pictures related to this article can be found under PHOTOS.

 

Footnote:M. Khairul Alam, President 2007-08 of Rotary club of Dilkusha, District 3280 can be reached by e-mail: khairula@dhaka.net. He is a charter member of the Global Network for Blood Donation, a Rotarian Action Group.

 

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