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
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
"Safe blood screening is a constant problem, when
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
Still, the amount of blood needed for transfusion in
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 (
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.
Rotary District 3280 covers all of
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:
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