Are you Ready to make a Difference? Read and Decide..!

An inspiring article by Ratheesh Sahadevan (Joint Secretary- Tejus and organizing secretary- KEBS)

TechnoparkToday.com>>  Today, February 4, is the World Cancer Day.  The number of cancer patients is on a rise, so is the requirement for blood.  Statistics shows that In RCC alone has about 14000 to 15000 new patients registered every year. These include about 1000 kids.

The yearly blood requirement for RCC alone is about 25000 units.  In Thiruvananthapuram, about 400-500 units of blood required on daily basis.  RCC blood bank, due to its staff shortage, is able to conduct only two-three donation camps per month, which itself is a great gesture considering their limited man power. Maximum 50 units of blood can be collected from each donation camp. But the gap between demand and supply is huge. This makes poor patients and bystanders struggle even for the most common O positive blood.

Getting calls from the parents of cancer patients, of especially small kids, requesting for blood is really a painful experience. Some needs daily 4-5 units per day. Sometimes, requirements for blood will be informed only in the morning, forcing the bystanders to make frantic run for blood. Situation is worse in case of negative group blood. Poor patients from outside Thiruvananthapuram, especially north Kerala and Tamilnadu , who don’t have any contacts here are the most suffering victims. Responsibility of arranging blood is with the already suffering patient/bystanders. But that must change. It should be the responsibility of the society and government.

Solution is very simple – conduct blood donation camps daily. This is not a hard task in a city like Thiruvananthapuram where the requirements as well as the number of potential donors are high.

There are more than 50 colleges and educational institutions and a number of government offices like Police ,Army, Airforce, CISF, CRPF, coast guard, Fireforce, Secretariat , Assembly ,Corporation, Planetarium, PWD, Water authority, AG’s office, PSC office, Airport, Housing board office, KSRTC,Railway, KSEB, BSNL,Vikas Bhavan, DPI ,LIC, SBT and other banks, Keltron, Milma, TTPL,VSSC,LPSC, IISU and Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram.

About 40000 employees are working in Technopark alone. If blood donation camps can be arranged in the office premises, most of the employees will be ready to donate. Yearly men can donate 4 times and women 3 times.

I know it’s a dream only…it will take it’s own time…But this can be realized by a joint effort.

Either you can donate blood or you can arrange a donor ( your friend or relative). You can do it’s in connection with your/kids birthdays, marriage anniversaries or any important days.

If you do this, it will make a big difference.
If you are ready to join with us, please contact @
9497713175/ 9447402059/9847799222
( All Kerala Blood Donors Society -KEBS,  TEJUS blood donation forum, Technopark & VSSC Blood Donation Forum)

Ratheesh Sahadevan