18,000 bottles of blood donation collected

MULTAN: Dawat-e-Islami (DI) collected 18,000 bottles of blood for the thalassemia patients during the ongoing lockdown through 106 camps in cities across the country.

The DI members were able to collect the aforementioned number of bottles within 20 days of the drive.

DI Multan spokesperson said on Monday that DI Ameer Maulana Ilyas Qadri had called on the people to not only donate blood, but also extend financial help to the thalassemia patients them in these testing times.

'Drop in blood donations could lead to tragedy'

“It is difficult for thalassemia patients to visit hospitals regularly because of the pandemic,” he said, adding, “The donors were also reluctant to come due to which the hospitals are facing shortage of blood.”

The spokesperson revealed that in Multan, they were able to collect as many as 1,700 bottles of blood in a single day.

It is imperative for thalassemia patients to get blood transfusion at least once a month, otherwise it could be life threatening for them, he explained.



He further added that World Thalassemia Day falls on May 8 every year and he hoped that this year they will be able to get maximum support on that day.

“A healthy person can donate blood after every three months according to medical experts. Therefore people should come forward to help those in need of this resource,” he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2020.