October 2015, Vol 5, Issue 10

Blood banks can now help cure thalassemia

It is well known that children suffering from thalassemia need blood transfusion and iron chelation every month. While the suffering and pain is borne by the child, the financial implications of this regular routine are quite demanding for many families. In the past we have seen that a few families shun the idea of regular management owing to the lack of financial resources. Since 2011, at our thalassemia day care centres in Bangalore we are looking to make management of thalassemia and not the financial aspect related to it as the point of focus for patients and their families.

News and Updates from September 2015

Rakta Kranti Updates

Sankalp organized 12 blood donation camps in Sept 2015 collecting 772 units of blood. Syniverse: 3rd camp was organized in Syniverse on 2nd Sept. The company promoted the event very well and arranged fruits for the donors. We saw 87 people turning up for the event with a collection of 75 units of blood. Schnieder Electric: Schnieder Electric organized a camp with Sankalp for the first time at their Bidarahalli location. For publicity, all the LCD screens in company were used.

What do we owe the blood donor heroes?

1st October is celebrated as National Voluntary Blood Donor’s Day in India to mark the birthday of Dr J G Jolly who is believed to have spearheaded the movement to promote Voluntary Blood Donation in the country. Several voluntary organizations across the country marked the day with blood donation drives and other celebrations including felicitation of regular donors. A few blood banks and hospitals organized CMEs. Sankalp too could have organized an event and marked the special day. Instead we chose to do something different.

Our study of complications related to blood donation being published in Asian Journal for Transfusion Science

What do we do as a voluntary organisation when we confront with a problem that affects the donors and the interest of voluntary blood donation as a whole? There are choices. There is the choice to create awareness about the problem and hope that someone will take notice and solve it. The other option is to petition the Government and other stakeholders to try and take the problem up and find answers. Then there is the approach that we took.

Celebrating Nature - The three Bihus

Submitted by souravroy on

Bihu is a set of festivals of Assam and celebrated by the Assamese diaspora around the world. Bihu is celebrated thrice every year - in the months of Bohaag (Baisakh, the middle of April), Maagh (the middle of January), and Kaati (Kartik, the middle of October). The Bihus have been celebrated in Assam since ancient times. Each Bihu coincides with a distinctive phase in the farming calendar. It is one of the festivals of India which focuses on nature worshiping and not idol worshiping. The word Bihu is derived from the language of the Dimasa people. Bi means "to ask" and Shu means "peace".

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