DK Red Cross to get own building soon

DK Red Cross to get own building soon

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, June 15, 2019: Dakshina Kannada branch of Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) will soon have its own building to provide emergency medical aid to members of the public.

 

Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) DK district branch Chairman C A Shantharam Shetty said on June 14, Friday.

He was presiding over World Blood Donors’ Day programme organised by ICRS district branch at Town Hall.

Shetty said 2020 marks the centenary year of ICRS. A free health checkup centre has been established by ICRS. There are plans to facilitate a Janaushadi Centre at Padavinangadi and a help desk at the district government Wenlock Hospital, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Nitte Deemed to be University vice-chancellor Prof
Dr Sathish Kumar Bhandary said the birthday of Dr Karl Land Steiner is observed as Blood Donors’ Day across the world. Dr Karl was a Nobel laureate who invented the blood grouping and also polio virus, he added.

Dr Bhandary said India requires five crore units of blood every year but the blood banks are not able to meet to the required demand. A healthy person can donate blood. Blood donation increases immunity, he said.

Government Lady Goschen Hospital Superintendent Dr Savitha said the slogan for this year’s Blood Donors’ Day is ‘Safe Blood for All’. There will be a demand for blood during childbirth. It has been possible to meet the demand to a great extent with the help of IRCS blood bank, she said.

On the occasion, social activist Hanumantha Kamath said that when his father met with an accident, he required a transfusion of 30 units of blood and 20 of Kamath’s Muslim friends donated blood to save his father’s life.

Dr Sudesh Shastry, his wife Padmavathi Shastry and daughter Aishwarya Shastry, who donated blood maximum number of times, were felicitated. Individual blood donors and organisations which conducted blood donation camps were also honoured on the occasion.

ICRS New Delhi Managing Body Member Basrur Rajeev Shetty administered an oath on blood donation. Additional Deputy Commissioner Venkatachalapathy inaugurated the programme.

Government Lady Goschen Hospital Resident Medical Officer Dr Durgaprasad, district environment officer Rajashekhar Puranik, IRCS honorary secretary S A Prabhakar Sharma, Blood Bank sub-committee chairman Dr U V Shenoy were present.