Pilgrims significant blood contributors to city hospitals

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 15

Pilgrims, who visit the city to pay obeisance at Golden Temple and other holy shrines, are significant contributors of blood to prominent blood banks in the city.

Many blood donation organisations, which are playing a prominent role in the collection of blood for Government Medical College and Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs Memorial Civil Hospital, say that the maximum quantity of blood comes from pilgrims and other volunteers at the camps organised in the vicinity of Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh.

The prominent local organisations, include Shri Guru Ram Das Blood Donation Seva Society, Sher-e-Punjab Youth Welfare Club and Khalsa Blood Donate Unity among others.

Sukhdev Singh Mathaaru of Shri Guru Ram Das Blood Donation Seva Society said, “The organisation was formed in 2009. Many patients from outside the district used to face problems as they could not arrange for a donor.” A chance visit to the hospital brought the problem by patients to his notice which he discussed with his friends and formed the society. The society frequently organises camps, generally on Sundays, in which large numbers of pilgrims donate blood.

Sher-e-Punjab Youth Welfare Club too has organised hundreds of camps so far at Jallianwala Bagh to collect blood for patients. Club volunteers, including president Simranjit Singh Lovely, are regular donors. Lovely said pilgrims get convinced easily for blood donation as it is more important than donating money or any other thing.

Dr SS Riar, in-charge of the blood bank at the Civil Hospital, said, “Around 90 per cent of the blood comes from camps near Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh where pilgrims and tourists participate in large numbers.”

He said that many people, during the pilgrimage, prefer to donate blood as they feel that it’s important to save someone’s life. Dr Riar said around half a dozen organisations are actively collecting blood during these camps.

As per an estimate, the organisations collect around 35,000 units of blood every year. Out of the total, around 25,000 units is collected for blood bank at Government Medical College alone.