By Thankgod Inyang
Voluntarism in blood donation has been described as a service to humanity that has saved countless number of lives through an empirical system showing the real brotherly love by donating blood with no harm leaving the donor enjoying several health benefits and other incentives in maintaining a good lifestyle.
Okanga Ngim, the Calabar Chapter focal person of Club 25 Nigeria, a voluntary blood donor organization existing only in higher institutions of learning gave the above account in Calabar while speaking during a blood donation drive held at the Cross River University of Technology, CRUTECH main campus, Calabar recently.
Okanga who is a staff of the National Blood Transfusion Center, NBTS Calabar, a government agency with sponsorship from the organized private sector, revealed that the drive is a regular program by the center through its institution based Club 25 (which creates awareness and encourages blood donation in tertiary institutions across the state) to encourage those afraid of volunteering to donate blood to see the positive aspect to it as well as encourage those who are already members of the club to maintain the prescribed standards.
His words: Our visit to the institution is not a strange one, but a follow up to the normal blood drive conducted on campuses to get blood from voluntary donors on campus and enlighten others to join us”.
On the interval between drives and recovery period, Okanga said, “we do visit schools within an interval of four months; this is because medically in males after donating blood they need a period of three months to be fit again, while females need a minimum of four months to donate again. Summarily it helps in ascertaining the level of fitness of donors during the next visit.”
Anthony Undie, a 300 level Biochemistry student in the Department of Chemical Sciences, while speaking with CrossRiverWatch revealed that he’s a blood donor and an executive member of the Club in his school, CRUTECH.
Furthermore, Anthony maintained that there is no risk in donating blood pointing out that it helps donors maintain good health status provided the prescribed rules are adhered to. “I have benefited a lot from donating blood, it has helped me maintain good health, not just that, as a result of donating blood I have met so many people of repute in the society, and I have so far enjoyed a good relationship with them, he said.
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