Gujranwara Blood Bank

At lunch, David Rush proposed a toast to RC Rurilya, in Pakistan.  Here is some of the 'back story':

Rotarians from Australia and Pakistan embraced the idea of a Rotary blood bank in the Pakistani City of Gujranwala during the Fourth World Rotary Cricket Festival in Hunter Valley, Australia, in November 2004 and worked on the project for more than a year.

The basic lab equipment for the blood bank was acquired through a Matching Grant project between Rotary Club Hawthorn, Melbourne, Australia District 9800, and Ruryila Rotary Club, Gujranwala, Pakistan, District 3270 - with support from The Rotary Foundation.The project had a budget of 24,979 US dollars. A local Rotarian had donated the building site.

The Rotarian cricketers' blood bank project opened in July 2006 under the name of Give Free Blood Bank. The administration of the blood bank was placed in the hands of a local registered NGO, the GIVE Development Foundation, while the Rotary Club Ruryila in Gujranwala, a city with a population of 1.1 million people, assumed the supervising responsibility.

"Since its start, the Give Free Blood Bank has provided more than 6,000 pints of blood to the needy and deserving patients in the city of Gujranwala and surrounding areas who can not otherwise afford the help," Sajid Pervaiz Bhatti, the cricket playing chairman of the blood bank sums up in a report to ourblooddrive.org.

"Blood is especially provided to those kids who are suffering from bleeding disorders such as haemophilia and thalassemia," Sajid Bhatti says.

According to the blood bank chairman, the level of safety follows the international standards. Every blood donor has to pass the viral tests and a brief blood donor history is taken before bleeding. Currently, the blood bank is providing only whole blood. As the next step, RC Ruryila plans for the provision of blood component therapy, of which this community is in dire need. "Our goal is to provide these blood components free to patients, who have no other place to go for such gratis service within a distance of 200 kilometres," Sajid Bhatti says.

The blood bank collects blood from volunteer donors at camps within the local community, including various educational institutions. In addition, Rotary Club of Ruryila organizes seminars on non-remunerated blood donations. At the end of such seminars, appreciation certificates and shields are given to volunteer blood donors in recognition of their life saving contribution.

For its efforts, the Rotary Club Ruryila has received the Award for Best District community project within District 3270.

Pakistan Red Crescent Society explains on its website about blood donation: "Islamic law urges every Muslim to be in constant support of his community, and makes it a legal requirement in many cases. . . Therefore, if giving blood to a patient is necessary for his survival then, according to Islam, it becomes mandatory to donate blood." With an estimated population of 170 million people, Pakistan is the second most populous Muslim nation in the world.

On a personal note, Sajid Bhatti pays special tribute to two Rotarian friends for making the blood bank project come through: Richard Groom from RC Hawthorn, " . the man who made it possible with all his effort, which is admirable, to make it successful from the initial to the final stage regarding financial assistance and moral support. Very special thanks go to Mike Jackson, Chairman of the International Fellowship of Cricket Loving Rotarians, who introduced us to a folder of IFCR. And his club, RC Fordingbridge, has contributed to the project with about 450 US dollar." 

                  Congratulations to Richard Groom!