Noting that there has been a significant decline in the number of voluntary blood donations in view of Covid-19 and apprehensions about hospital environment, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday appealed to people to come forward to donate blood.
Blood is required for emergency surgeries, blood disorders like thalassemia, blood cancer and road accidents and trauma cases, he highlighted.
"Hence the best way to serve human kind is voluntary blood donation," Vardhan said as he inaugurated a Voluntary Blood Donation Campaign at AIIMS here.
The camp, organized by AIIMS on the eve of Independence Day, is dedicated to both soldiers as well as Covid-19 warriors who lost their life while safeguarding the country and its citizens, the health ministry said in a statement.
Two families were invited as guests of honour - one family of a martyred soldier and one family of a fallen Covid-19 warrior of AIIMS.
On India's fight against Covid-19, Vardhan said India's continuously rising recovery rate and progressively falling case fatality rate have proven the success of the Covid-19 containment strategy followed by all states and UTs.
"We have successfully ramped up our testing capacity which has crossed the 8.4 lakh milestone today with more than 1450 testing labs spread across the country.
"I have confidence in the scientific developments taking place in the field of treatment and vaccines for Covid-19 and soon India will achieve more success in our fight against Covid-19," Vardhan was quoted as saying in the statement.
At the blood donation camp, the Union Health Minister interacted with blood donors and awarded them certificates for contributing to the blood donation drive.
He encouraged doctors and healthcare workers themselves to come up in large numbers on the eve of Independence Day to donate blood and save lives of patients.
Vardhan also expressed satisfaction that all precautions were being ensured at the camp including arrangement of face shields, masks, gloves etc, the statement said.
Appreciating the initiative taken up by AIIMS, Vardhan said, "On the eve of our 73rd Independence Day, this voluntary blood donation camp is a tribute to both fallen Covid white coat warriors and the Kargil martyrs. We must remember the ultimate sacrifice made by the Covid warriors including doctors, nurses or paramedical staff while saving people's lives in the pandemic."
To mark the event, the family members of deceased Covid warrior Hiralal, who was a frontline health worker at AIIMS and family members of Kargil martyr Lance Naik Rajbir Singh were honoured for their sacrifice, the ministry said in the statement.
In view of Covid-19 pandemic, restrictions due to lockdown and apprehension about the hospital environment, the number of voluntary donations and blood donation camps saw a significant decline," the minister said.
"Blood is required for emergency surgeries, blood disorders like thalassemia, blood cancers and road traffic accidents and trauma cases. Hence the best way to serve human kind is voluntary blood donation," he was quoted as saying in the statement.
He said all Indians must honour the sacrifices of the country's warriors by contributing in some way in their daily lives to spread joy.
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