By Jaishree with inputs from RC Noida, RI District 3010, India.
The Rotary Noida Blood Bank is the culmination of a three-year dream of the members of Rotary Club of Noida, RI District 3010, in their quest for zero-risk blood for transfusions. The centre promotes voluntary blood donation to save precious human lives in a healthy manner. This Blood Bank that has been installed with the best of the systems and equipments is a pioneer in several ways. (This report is quoted from Rotary International's regional magazine for India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, Rotary News, September 2011).
Blood and blood components are vital to the health care system of a country. Thalassemic, haemophilic, anaemic and leukemia patients require regular blood transfusions. Blood is also required in cases of accidents and surgical operations.
According to statistics, only 50 percent of the need in India is fulfilled through replacement donors. This leaves a gap of 50 percent units annually, for which the main source is voluntary blood donations.
Moreover, the spread of AIDS through blood transfusion and use of blood products has made it necessary to use only safe blood obtainable mainly from voluntary donors.
The members of Rotary Club of Noida, RI District 3010, deliberated on their initial thoughts that struck them during one of their blood donation camps (drives) and this resulted in the Rotary Noida Blood Bank that would foster more blood ties in a highly safe way.
Rotary Club Noida is into its 28 year having been chartered in 1983 and organising blood donation camps is one of the cherished service activities of the club. The club has been frontrunners in Rotary District 3010 in organising voluntary blood donation camps in Noida and around.
“A drop of blood does not recognise the barrier of class, colour, creed and religion. It is the saviour of life and has no alternative available on earth,” says Rotarian Satish C. Singhal.
The persevering initiatives of Rotarian Satish Singhal along with the untiring efforts of the Rotarians of the club with a commitment to provide quality blood that measures to the world standard saw the fructification of the Rotary Noida Blood Bank at Noida which became functional from June 13, 2011.
This ultra modern blood bank has been established at a cost of 7.5 Million Rupees (156.740 US Dollars) and the entire amount was raised as donations from the club members and other philanthropic individuals.
The Rotary Noida Blood Bank is the culmination of a three-year dream of the members of Rotary Club of Noida, in their quest for zero-risk blood for transfusions. The centre promotes voluntary blood donation to save precious human lives in a healthy manner.
The blood bank that has been installed with the best of the systems and equipments is a pioneer in several ways and organisations. The well-equipped centre relies only on voluntary blood donations, thus providing tested and safe blood to the patients.
The blood bank actively educates the masses through seminars and audio-visuals, enlightening and motivating them on this noble cause. The Rotarians take pride in the fact that the blood bank is the first such centre set up by an NGO which will have:
• 100 percent voluntary blood
donations
• 100 percent components with
leucodepletion by integral bags
(wherever requisitioned)
• Safest possible blood with Nucleic
Acid Testing (NAT) technology
which will galvanise HIV I and
II, HBV and HCV screening
• Blood grouping including Rh
phenotyping and rare blood group
studies using products from Immucor,
the world leader in blood bank
automation
• Platelet serology
• Aphaeresis procedures including
peripheral blood circulating stem
cells
• A massive storage capacity of
approximately 10,000 units in a
walk-in cold room, with facility
of platelets storage.
Its state-of-the-art blood processing equipments and laboratory that is functional round the clock, the various
blood products readily available makes it a popular centre in the locality.
With the government, the Red Cross International and WHO being united in the opinion that voluntary blood donation is the only way to ensure safe blood, the Rotary Noida Blood Bank is proud to become part of the movement in Noida and NCR (*), deploying the latest technology in blood banking and transfusion medicine.
The blood bank has attracted universal acclaim from Rotary dignitaries such as PDG Arun Sharma, RI District 3080, who visited the blood bank as RIP Representative and PDGs of RI District 3010 — Damanjit Singh, Mukesh Arneja, Manjit S. Sawhney and Ramesh Chander to name a few. The united and sincere prayers of the Rotarians of RC Noida that no one shall die for want of blood in Noida and its surroundings has been effectively answered, with the blood bank ensuring constant supply of this life giving fluid.
The report is written by Jaishree
with inputs from
RC Noida, RI District 3010
Footnotes:
(*) The National Capital Region, NCR, is a name for the conurbation or metropolitan area which encompasses the entire National Capital Territory of Delhi as well as urban areas ringing it in neighbouring states of Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Rotary News for India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal is printed in 100,000 copies every month and has an estimated readership of more than 360,000 people.
CONTACT: Rotary News' Editor, Rtn T. K. Balakrishnan, e-mail rotarynews@rosaonline.org