The India Post, 30th September, 2008 :The Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, Gen. (Retd.) S.F. Rodrigues, PVSM VSM, in a message on the eve of National Voluntary Blood Donation Day, called upon the people to give a further momentum to voluntary Blood Donations movement, for saving the lives of needy patients.
He said that our blood needs in hospitals and for the emergency treatment of patients, are mounting day by day and there is a need for generating awareness about the importance of Voluntary Blood Donations, and making it a continuous process.
Emphasising that an adequate and safe blood supply is the key to an effective healthcare system, General Rodrigues said that professional donors should be discouraged, as this practice leads to various problems. He said that Voluntary Blood Donation is a great humanitarian cause, which contributes in promoting the feeling of human brotherhood, besides giving timely help to the needy. He said that the blood donation movement knows no barriers of caste, creed and religion and in saving un-known precious lives.
General Rodrigues said that this day reminds us of our duty towards suffering people and also provides an opportunity to convey our gratitude to those people who have given their blood voluntarily, for the benefit of others whom they do not know. He thanked all Voluntary Blood Donors for their contribution towards this noble cause and expressed the hope that a new generation of blood donors would follow their example, providing safe blood for use, wherever and whenever it is needed to save a life.
Impressing upon the Blood Banks the need to be donor friendly and to introduce latest methodologies, General Rodrigues said that with a view to meet the growing needs of blood in hospitals and nursing homes in the region, the systems of fractionating blood into various components must be instituted. He complemented the Blood Bank Society for mobilizing blood donors and propagating the concept of blood separation into its components. Our goal must be to ensure that blood is available to patients whenever and wherever it is needed because it is the blood on the shelves that helps saves lives.