The Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab on Friday launched the YDA Punjab Blood Donation Society on the World Blood Donation Day here at the Allama Iqbal Medical College.
The speakers at the seminar said donating blood was good for a person’s health. They said according to figures provided by the World Health Organization in 2011, nearly 83 million blood donations [an almost 8 million increase from 2004] were collected worldwide from voluntary [unpaid] donors.
“The blood society’s regional chapters are also being launched. We will sustain this society and help the poor patients who are often in dire need of blood during surgeries,” said YDA President Javaid Aheer.
“There are 20 vacancies of doctors at the Lahore Blood Bank… no progress has been made so far on bringing private blood banks and societies under the Blood Transfusion Authority,” said a doctor at the Blood Bank.
“The Punjab Blood Helpline established by the Punjab Information and Technology Board is also not working well,” he said.
Many doctors and medical students attended the launch. Former adviser to chief minister on health Khawaja Salman Rafique and AIMC Principal Mahmood Shaukat were also present on the occasion.
An awareness seminar about blood donation was also organised.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 15th, 2013.