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Rajiv Mahajan
A group of over 800 young blood donors in Nurpur has set an exemplar in the state, as they are instrumental in saving hundreds of lives by meeting the emergency needs of patients admitted to different government and private hospitals within and outstate the state.
Members of the Nurpur Blood Donors’ Club (NBDC) have donated 2,570 units of blood since its inception in December 2015. It donated 849 units in 2018 alone.
The club, headed by Rajiv Pathania, organised the biggest ever blood donation camp in the state on March 23, 2016, to commemorate Shaheedi Diwas here, in which 603 volunteers donated blood. Significantly, this camp set the path to inspire youngsters of the state to constitute blood donor clubs across the state. He appealed to CM Jai Ram Thakur to fulfil his announcement made in his first public meeting at Nurpur in March last year to upgrade blood storage centre of the local civil hospital to a blood bank. Club activists Bhupinder Thakur and Rishi Pathania have set a record by donating blood for the 58th and 37th time, respectively.
The NBDC has organised 12 camps so far, in which as many as 1,900 volunteers donated blood. On March 23 last year, it dedicated its camp to the Indian Army and 321 volunteers, including 101 young women, donated blood. The NBDC first started the ‘On Call’ blood donation service in November 2016, which not only saved hundreds of lives, but also inspired many youngsters to join this noble mission. Under this service, volunteers contribute during emergency need not only in Nurpur, but in Pathankot, Tanda Medical College-Kangra, Dharamsala, Shimla, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Jammu, Chandigarh and even Dehli.
In the absence of blood bank facility in Nurpur Civil Hospital, volunteers go to blood banks in Pathankot, Dharamsala and Tanda at their own expense.
Tie-ups with other states
Notably, the NBDC has established a tie-up with different blood donor clubs in other states as well.
Serving a cause
In July last year, the NBDC was honoured with the National Manav Ratna Award by Manav Ekta Foundation, Kolkata. It has been honoured several times on sub-divisional level on Republic Day and Independence Day. It was also recommended by the district administration for the State Prerna Strot Award a few months ago. Rajiv Pathania, the president and the brainchild behind starting this service (in pic), said: “Initially, I was motivated to form this club when I felt that people in the area were hesitating in donating blood and patients were in trouble in procuring blood units. Blood donation is a divine act that serves a humanitarian cause.”
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