Blood Donations

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 14.                                                         Blood Donations

                                                 By Mahfooz ur-Rahman.

Before we were beset with illness to two of my children, my daughter, who died in illness two years ago after attaining the age of eighteen, and a son who still living, and both of them were the victims of a fatal disease called Thalassemmia, we thought we would never be need of someone’s blood. We had read news in the newspapers of people who sell their blood and particular those people who blood to satisfy there crave for intoxication to hospitals. Indeed, we had seen such, haggard, famished and emaciated in or around the District Headquarters Hospital, Rawalpindi and Rawalpindi General Hospital, Rawalpindi. They like virtual skeletons. The fact is that the families of the sick, particularly, who are poor, are hard hit to arrange blood for their near ones. The C.M.Hs only to give blood either through donations or in exchange i.e.. One blood group for another. The government hospitals are so untidy that one feels like vomiting at the very sight of them. By the way why can we emulate the armed forces in their attention to patients and in the cleanliness of their surroundings? The C.M.H and M.H, Rawalpindi and the P.N.S. Hafeez and the P.A.F, Hospitals both in Islamabad are cases in point.

In 1986, my youngest son was hospitalized .We were in acute need of blood. Since he was in a Government hospital, we were crowded with cadavers in the blood bank ready to meet our requirement of blood. Ultimately, I donated blood myself twice to save the life of m infant son.

Since 1991, when our daughter and son first were given blood transfusions, they have been living on others blood. Often cousins or friends donate blood to my children. But we sometimes try other sources like the Fatimid Foundation, the Edhi takes years to locate a person whose organs matches the patient’s organs.

In the past ten years or so, I have been facing a terrible ordeal in the sense that most people make all sorts of excuses if requested to donate blood .One man, I knew, went so far as to say that blood donations are “haraam”. Most of them claim that they are suffering from various illnesses . And if at all they are willing, they behave as if they have conquered Everest. While, on the other

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hand, there are some people who are very noble and whose behaviour deserves commendation. My office colleague, Dr. Shoaib and my cousins, Capt. Zabih of the PIA and his younger brother, Naeem of Abbotts are such noble souls.

Blood is required for operations, often in childbirth, in cases of Thalassemmia and hemophilia. At the Holy Quran, which says that whosoever saves the life, he saves the lives of entire humanity. But people who are otherwise healthy are reluctant to donate blood to save the live of a dying person. Why is it so? The reason, I think, is lack of awareness. People tend to believe that by giving blood they would become weak and blood, once given, would not be recouped. The government can make people aware by using the media particularly television and radio. The government can also establish blood banks at places other hospitals for screened blood particularly in the rural areas.

When my children were first diagnosed as patients of Thalassemmia in 1987, we did not know the existence of the disease. Like us nobody, apart from, knew. But thanks to good people like my dear friends Naveed Zafar, who was instrumental in introducing this disease to the PTV and Ms Amina Jilani, who regularly wrote about it, the masses are beginning to know the harmful effects of the disease.