World Blood Donor Day: Frontier Foundation launches awareness drive for blood donation

PESHAWAR: The Frontier Foundation Hematology Services would launch a campaign to raise awareness among the people about donating blood for the patients suffering from thalassemia and other blood-related diseases.

Presiding a meeting held here on Thursday, Sahibzada Muhammad Haleem, chairman Frontier Foundation Hematology Services, said that the drive was part of the World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) to be marked on June 14.

Frontier Foundation Administrator Dr Fakhar Zaman, Director Project Laiba Fayyaz, Director Media Farooq Mohmand and others attended the meeting, said a press release.

Sahibzada Muhammad Haleem said that marking the day was meant to raise awareness about the importance of blood donation, pay homage to the donors and give courage to the patients suffering from thalassemia disease and blood-related diseases.

He said that awareness camps about the blood donation would also be arranged throughout the month of June besides organising camps for collection of blood from the donors.

He said that their organisation was holding workshops, walks, seminars and conferences to create awareness about blood donation and the treatment for the patients round the year. He said that the genetic diseases like thalassemia, haemophilia and other blood-related disorders were spreading fast owing to the lack of awareness among the people.

He said that their organisation was striving hard to control the thalassemia through awareness campaigns and provide treatment facilities to the patients.

“We must take appropriate steps for curbing thalassemia and other blood-related disorders to save our generation from the crippling diseases,” he said, adding that awareness was key to contain the genetic ailments.

World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) is held on June 14 each year. The event was organised for the first time in 2005, by a joint initiative of the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products, and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood.