Blood donation camp organised in Shimla amid lockdown

A blood donation camp was organised in Shimla on Thursday, with special permission from authorities amid a lockdown, as blood banks in the state are facing an acute shortage, an official said.

Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) blood bank in-charge M L Kaushal, who also donated blood, said the camp was a "great relief for the hospital as the blood shelves were almost empty". He said there is an acute shortage in blood banks of the state.

The advisory issued by the state health department for blood donation camps, being setup during COVID-19 pandemic, was followed in letter and spirit, Kaushal said.

The equipment, furniture and other items were sanitised and at least 1 metre distance between two persons was maintained in the camp, he said.

Forty people donated blood at the camp which was organised by Umang Foundation NGO at Mashobra here.

Chairman of the foundation Ajai Srivastava said the camp was organised in the city as IGMC blood bank was "running almost dry" and patients suffering from cancer, heart disease, delivery complications and thalassemia were "fighting for their lives in need of blood".

The youngest donor at the camp was Dhruv Goyal, who celebrated his 18th birthday only 10 days ago. His mother Nidhi Goyal and father Rajesh Goyal also donated blood.

When temples are closed due to fear of coronavirus, this camp is a sort of worship during the pious month of Navratri, said Archana Sharma, a donor from Mashobra.

Chief Minister Jairam Thakur had given a special permission to organise blood donation drives across the state. He appreciated the initiative by the Umang Foundation.