Jorhat, Aug. 8: A few students of JB College, Jorhat, have come together to form a blood donors’ club called Life, which will help poor people to get blood almost free of cost or to gain access to donors of the required group.
Secretary of Life, Anjan Kurmi, said the idea to form the club, “which is yet to be registered,” was placed when it was proposed to hold a blood donation camp in the college.
“As we did not have money, we approached our National Social Service teacher Pranab Baruah who told us the National Social Service would help organise the camp. The Rotary Club was also approached to share the cost and the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital was approached for providing doctors, technicians and apparatus,” Kurmi said.
The blood donation camp was fixed on August 13 and about 80 students of the college have volunteered to donate blood till date.
“However, we propose to keep one-fourth of those who volunteer for poor people who require blood in an emergency. This is because it is often seen that people from rural areas do not have the money to pay for bottles of blood, which cost Rs 1,600 in blood banks, nor can they donate blood and take away a bottle in exchange, which is usually the norm. These people can contact us and we can put them through to those who have been kept in abeyance,” he said.
These people can also avail of a bottle of blood, which will be donated at the camp and stored at the JMCH through cards with a six-month validity, given to the donors by the hospital. “On showing the card, a bottle of a required blood group can be obtained at a nominal cost of Rs 250 from the JMCH blood bank,” Kurmi said. The nominal charge is taken by JMCH for processing the blood.
Members of the club are making posters and banners, which will have the contact numbers, including Kurmi’s number 9854821718, through which one can access donors. These posters will be put up in different parts of the town.
A teacher of the college, Meenakshi Hazarika, said the Rotary Club would sponsor the event as well as provide a badge to the donors as motivation and refreshment after blood was given.
The Rotary Club here has been working to eradicate polio and Hepatitis B by holding vaccination camps. It also set up an ICU in the Mission Hospital here in 2006.
