PGI honours ‘star donors’ on Blood Donors Day

On the occasion of World Blood Donors Day on Monday,Singh and other ‘star donors’ were honoured at PGI blood bank.

“It’s a myth that blood donation leads to blood loss. I have donated blood all these years. Now,at 60,I feel 45 years old,” Singh told Newsline.

Singh’s O-positive blood,a relatively rare blood group which can be transfused in all patients with positive blood groups,has helped many over the years.

But the Sharma family has a larger share of contributions. The pioneer in the family,65-year-old Harish Sharma,has donated blood 165 times. Further,he has inspired his daughter and son to be regular donors.

The Sector 22-based family is special for another reason: They have O-negative blood group,which makes them universal donors for all blood groups.

“My donations began purely by chance. In 1969,a friend’s sister needed blood and I offered to donate. I didn’t even know that I had this rare blood group,” Sharma said. “Dr J G Jolly,the then head of the Department of Transfusion Medicine,encouraged me to donate regularly. I never stopped after that.”

His 26-year-old son Chetan and 30-year-old daughter Chetna are regular donors.

Similarly,the Bhardwajs have O-negative blood group and are regular donors. The family — father Hemant,daughter Parul and son Sahil — was also honoured at PGI on Monday.

“Thanks to high awareness and literacy,Chandigarh has emerged as a pioneer in voluntary blood donation — 90 per cent of the total donations come from voluntary donors. This is way above the national average,” Dr R R Sharma,a faculty member at the Department of Transfusion Medicine,said. “The credit goes to donors and the strong tradition of blood donation in the city.”