They were generous with their own life - for others
By Roydon D’Souza
– SAC News Service; II BCA ‘A’ @ SAC
Mangalore, 01 Dec 2009: The All India Catholic University Federation (AICUF) units of St. Aloysius College (Autonomous), Mangalore along with National Service Scheme (NSS) and Students Council of the College jointly organized a Blood Donation Camp to commemorate the World AIDS Day today at 9:20 AM in the College
Special moment of sharing life
Auditorium.
The inaugural program began with invoking God’s Blessing. The NSS students led the gathering into prayerful mood. Ovin Joel Lasrado, NSS member welcomed the gathering.
Mr. Ravindraswamy, NSS Officer, Mr. Darryl D’Souza, President Students’ Council, SAC and Rohan, Secretary of NSS were present on the dais. Dr. Jayaprakash, Blood Donation Officer Fr. Muller’s Charitable Hospitals was the Chief Guest of the function. Fr. Swebert D’Silva, Principal of St. Aloysius College, (Autonomous) presided over the function.
This little guiding light of mine...
Addressing the students, Principal of St. Aloysius College, Rev. Fr. Swebert D’Silva stressed upon the need for donating the blood. He said that donating blood is donating life.
“Those who are selfless donate blood and they are the special people. They are not only worried themselves but also worried about those in need, these are the people who become successful in life”. He also expressed his happiness over the overwhelming response from the student community. Highlighting the importance of World AIDS Day he stressed on the need to educate the student community in this direction. It is of utmost importance to spread awareness and educate them to take necessary precautions before getting infected unknowingly.
Dr. Jayaprakash speaking on this occasion said that the need for blood is ever growing and there is no scientific substitute for blood. Voluntarily collected blood is the key for saving lives. “There is a need for around 4 lakh units annually but there is a shortage of 1 lakh units every year. This shortage can be achieved by organizing blood donation camps with the help of colleges, NGOs and other institutions.
He said that due to the scientific advancements in technology it is possible to separate RBC, WBC and other components from the blood easily and safely. Therefore it is possible to supply the necessary components in concentrated forms to the patients as per the need. A healthy male and female can donate blood once in three and six months respectively. There is no harm or danger in donating blood. But it in turn helps in building bone marrow quickly and contributes to a healthier growth of an individual.
On being asked about the process followed after the blood collection Dr Jayaprakash briefed Our Correspondent that the collected blood is stored in the refrigerated storage facilities.
The earlier collected sample are numbered and catalogued and then tested for any traces of infection. If the tests are passed then, it is moved to next category and is then moved to the blood bank. The blood can only be stored up to 34 days in liquid form and if there is no receiver within 34 days then it is discarded.
Only 400 ml of blood is collected from an individual. The packet in which it is collected contains 49 ml of anticoagulation liquid which will prevent it from clotting and makes it possible to be stored in liquid form for 34 days.
‘Change should come within us’- Blood donation can save lives, Think about it.
More than 150 students donated their blood on this occasion. This is the third blood donation camp in St Aloysius College in the academic year 2009-10.
