In 2002 India released the national blood policy with a firm commitment to phase out professional and replacement based blood donation practices in the country. 15 years later we are yet to see an end to replacement blood donations.
The Sankalp-CIMS Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant unit was started in April 2017 with an intent to provide the option of cure for thalassemiacs in Gujarat region. The centre is setup on a completely not for profit basis, and is the first transplant centre in Gujarat with an exclusive focus on thalassemia.
Rakta Kranti – the Blood Revolution movement of Sankalp has a special program for school children aimed at sensitizing the young minds towards blood donation. The students of class VIII, IX and X are educated on various facts related to blood biology through their school curriculum, but they are unaware about the process of blood donation.
The following is the experience shared by a student volunteer from Ammucare charitable trust after the blood donation camp organised at Mantri Espana on 29th July 2017.
Whenever someone asks about the vision for our thalassemia centres – we mention we hope to close them one day! The intention behind the statement was to reach a point where every child who is likely to do better with the option of permanent cure gets transplanted and enough is done to prevent new births with thalassemia.
The second meeting of the Sankalp Cure2Children Network was held on 21-22 September 2017 at Ahmedabad.
My heartfelt thanks to all who supported and guided me to participate in one of the prestigious conferences for nurses, The APHON Annual Conference in Palm Springs, California, USA. APHON is the professional organization for paediatric haematology/oncology nurses and other paediatric haematology/oncology healthcare professionals.
In August 2017, Team Sankalp crossed 2 major milestones. Sankalp-People Tree Center for Paediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation, Bangalore crossed the 50 mark of the number of patients transplanted. We were able to achieve this just before its second anniversary. By August end, we reached 55 number of transplants .
This Independence Day brought a new cheer and new hope to the coastal city of Mangalore. Sankalp India Foundation took a new step towards providing systematic care and management for many more children by setting up a thalassemia day care centre at District Wenlock Hospital.
“Sankalp”- A solemn vow of sheer hard work, determination, passion, vision and persistence to ensure that no individual ever dies due to lack of blood and to promote 100% Voluntary Blood Donation. A group of young students, who took this vow on 23rd May, 2003, have come a long way to celebrate the spirit of 1000 Voluntary Blood Donation Drives on 12th July, 2017.
Picture from a few months back. 3 of these 4 kids have been transplanted and cured while the fourth is getting ready to be admitted.
