Vijayapura, KARNATAKA :

Ateeb Inamdar from Vijayapura believes that the best charity anyone can do is donating blood. And, he’s clearly on a life-saving mission…

A blood donor being honoured in Vijayapura

Vijayapura :

Here’s a noble cause born out of a tragedy.

The year was 2008 when Vijayapura resident Ateeb Inamdar’s life turned upside down. His nine-month-old niece died of dengue after not getting the required platelets. “The hospital in Vijayapura referred us to Solapur in Maharashtra for better treatment. But despite our best efforts, we failed to arrange the required platelets, and the baby died in the hospital after nine days,” says Ateeb, now 30 years old, adding that he felt helpless after failing to arrange platelets to save his niece.

That incident shook Ateeb so deeply that it inspired him and his friends to start a blood donors’ group. “I, with the support from my brother-in-law and 15 others, including my cousins and friends, started the movement in 2009. It kept growing over the years with the number of donors now standing at over 3,000. Today, we have the satisfaction of saving the lives of countless people in need of blood,” he says.

Ateeb registered the association as an NGO in 2013, called it Sultan Social Group and Welfare Society and expanded the network. Initially, the NGO was involved in not only blood donation, but also collecting charity to treat the poor. But over the years, the NGO has remained largely focused only on blood donation, as they realised that people were getting financial aid from many but not blood.

“With the emergence of social media, our network widened. We not only kept easily adding more donors, but started getting frequent calls and demand for blood from various parts of Vijayapura district. We also got in touch with similar organisations in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa and even Delhi,” he says, adding that before social media, they contacted donors only by phone, and this limited their numbers. “It is a job done only for the satisfaction of our soul and not for any monetary benefit,” Ateeb adds.

He proudly says that today, they are a part of at least a dozen different blood donors’ groups in Karnataka and other states. “This has helped us share details of patients who need blood in various groups. The minute the information is passed on, donors approach us in large numbers,” he adds.

Rare blood groups

Besides blood groups that are common, Ateeb says they keep a record of donors with rare blood groups, like all negative blood groups and AB+. The rarest among all is the ‘Bombay Blood Group,’ and the NGO has two donors registered with them in Vijayapura district. “We have five from Kalaburagi district with that blood group. In all, we have 12 people in this rare group. We have told them not to donate blood in any donation camps, and to donate it only when a patient needs it. This is because after donating blood, they cannot do it for at least three months, as lost blood cells need time to recoup in the body after losing it,” he adds.

Ateeb says that after the group gained a good name in the district, not just hospitals but almost all blood banks approach them for blood. “If the patient cannot afford it, we request the blood banks to waive off the amount, and we get a positive response from them,” he added.

Ateeb says that people must come forward to donate blood to save lives. “It is the best charity I believe a human can do to a fellow human. I believe only a few people are gifted to do that work, as not everyone can donate blood for various reasons. Those who are eligible should never miss the chance, irrespective of their caste, creed, or religion. Ultimately, humanity is the foundation of every religion,” he adds.

Ateeb emphasises that more people should come forward to donate blood. “Every life saved gives us a blissful feeling,” he concludes.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Firoz Rozindar / September 15th, 2024