The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The Voluntary Blood Donation Programme of the Quantum Foundation honoured one hundred blood donors for life by distributing crests among them at a function at its meditation hall in the city yesterday evening. They were the 27th hundred recipients of the honour from the foundation.

The Quantum Foundation that started honouring blood donors for life since the year 2003 has in its list 75,000 irregular blood donors, of them 9,200 are donors for life who are pledge-bound give blood at four-monthly intervals.

There is an elaborate arrangement for hygienic collection of blood, screening the blood for five infectious diseases before storing safe blood in the foundation's blood bank for distribution on demand.

Madam Nahar Al-Bokhari, chief coordinator of the voluntary blood donation programme, told the meeting that the nation would forever remember the blood donors for life because their blood would save many lives. She requested all to spread the message so that others become voluntary blood donors. This is urgent to reduce and at once stage overcome dependence on professional donors for blood, because the professional donors are mostly drug addicts and most often carry infected blood.

Mostafa Kamal Majumder, editor, The New Nation who was the chief guest at the function said the blood donors for life and their organisers, the Quantum Foundation, reflected a positive contribution to the society and the growth of great institutions dedicated to the service of the humanity. He called for projecting such good works to inspire others.

Md Hafizur Rahman Maina, founder and chairman of the council of advisers of the Pallima Sangsad said that blood donors lead more healthy life than others. He called for removing misconceptions on blood donation with a view to meeting the demand for blood for patients.

Earlier in her address of welcome Masuda Aktar Abedin, coordinator of the programme, said that blood collected in this February by them totalled 4,300 bags. The annual national demand for donor blood is 400 thousand units, 60 per cent of which is collected from professional donors.