Blood Donors Kerala: Local heroes saving lives in Bahrain

Pradeep Puravankara

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

The efforts of the Blood Donors Kerala Bahrain Chapter, which is actively involved in blood donation in Bahrain, are significant as the globe commemorates yet another blood donation day.

The founder of Blood Donors Kerala, or BDK for short, is Mr. Vinod Bhaskaran, a regular bus conductor from Kerala’s Kottayam district. Inspired by social media and the constant need for blood in hospitals, he took the lead in 2014 to form this association with a group of like-minded people.

In a relatively short period of time, BDK which is currently a registered charitable trust with branches throughout Kerala and the Middle East, including Bahrain became the blood donation method of choice for many individuals in Kerala.

Since the Bahrain affiliation of BDK was established in December 2016, the association has been collaborating closely with many government facilities, including King Hamad University Hospital, Salmaniya Medical Hospital, and Bahrain Defence Force Hospital, to make sure that the need for blood is addressed within the stipulated time period.

Assistance

With the assistance of government medical facilities in Bahrain, BDK Bahrain chapter have been able to conduct more than 85 blood donation drive campaigns since their founding where more than 15,000 individuals have donated their blood.

They also actively participate in a number of humanitarian and charitable initiatives, such as distributing food kits to the underprivileged on Fridays, offering financial assistance for any medical treatment, and offering flying tickets to people in need.

A committee of selfless individuals led the day-to-day activities of this group. Those who want to be in touch with the association can call K.T. Salim at 33750999 or Roji John at 39125828.