Only 10pc of blood donations come from volunteers, says CM

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has expressed his government's commitment to promoting voluntary blood donations in the province and initiating a successful campaign in this regard that could be replicated nationally.

He made remarks to this effect while speaking on Sunday at the launch of Indus Zindagi, a national movement aimed at promoting voluntary blood donations across Pakistan. The event was hosted by the Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHNN) at a local hotel. The principal donors of the blood centre, Farhan Hanif and Shaista Farhan Hanif of the Crown Group, graced the event with their support towards the initiative.

The CM revealed that despite the country's vast population of over 240 million, only about 10 per cent of blood donations came from volunteers. He lamented that such shortage of readily available blood led to loss of numerous lives every year.

Shah stated that Indus Zindagi was not just a campaign but a collective call to action for the people of Pakistan. He stressed the importance of uniting to ensure that every Pakistani in need had access to life-saving blood through voluntary donations.

The CM praised a national video competition as a significant start to this movement saying that it encouraged creative individuals to showcase the importance of voluntary blood donation.

He commended the participants and winners of the video competition for their valuable contributions, terming them change-makers. He pledged full support of the Sindh government for the blood donation movement and urged every Pakistani to wholeheartedly embrace the cause.

The CM called for transformation of the country's blood donation system from replacement donations to voluntary contributions, emphasising that each individual had the power to save lives. By donating blood voluntarily, safe blood could be made available for those in need, anytime and anywhere, he remarked. Shah asked everyone to make Indus Zindagi a success.