Blood Donation Can Save Lives During Natural Disasters and Accidents: Prof. Dr. Farooq Afzal

Media, Welfare Organisations Urged to Promote Blood Donation Awareness

By Farzana Chaudhry
LAHORE: Principal of the Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI), Prof. Dr. Farooq Afzal, has stressed that voluntary blood donation can save countless lives during natural disasters, road accidents and medical emergencies, urging the media and welfare organisations to launch sustained public awareness campaigns.

He was addressing participants of an awareness walk organised by the Blood Donation Society of Ameer-ud-Din Medical College (AMC) at Lahore General Hospital (LGH) on Saturday.

Prof. Dr. Farooq Afzal said that blood donated by a healthy individual could become a lifeline for patients fighting for survival after accidents or other emergencies. He noted that with the increasing pace of modern life and technological advancement, road accidents and traumatic injuries have risen significantly, making the availability of safe blood more critical than ever.

He said timely blood transfusions could save the lives of most accident victims and emphasised that donating blood is both a humanitarian and religious responsibility.

“As responsible citizens and Muslims, we should regularly donate blood to blood banks and contribute to saving precious human lives,” he said.

Quoting the Holy Quran, he added: “Whoever saves one person’s life, it is as if he has saved all of humanity,” describing blood donation as a noble act that not only saves lives but also brings inner satisfaction.

The awareness walk was attended by Medical Superintendent of Lahore General Hospital Prof. Faryad Hussain, Prof. Muhammad Shahid, Prof. Tayyaba Gull Malik, Prof. Farhan Rashid, Prof. Nazish Saqleen, Prof. Shandana Tariq, Prof. Hassan Salman Malik, Dr. Abdul Aziz, along with medical students and healthcare professionals.

Prof. Dr. Farooq Afzal said that major accidents, natural disasters and complex surgical procedures often require multiple units of blood. However, due to a lack of awareness and unfounded fears, even close relatives of patients are sometimes reluctant to donate blood.

He clarified that a healthy individual can safely donate one unit of blood every six months without adverse health effects.

He appealed to the media and welfare organisations to intensify efforts to educate the public about the importance of voluntary blood donation and encourage more people to become regular blood donors.