Dear Chairman/ Secretary,

One of the major fallouts of Covid-19 is in the area of blood donation. Blood Donation Drives have been cancelled, and there is a drastic reduction in the numbers of persons going to the blood centres. As a result, blood centres in the city are faced with a serious shortage of blood. This shortage is posing a risk to the lives of almost 900 patients, who are in need of blood transfusions for various medical conditions, in Mumbai, every day.

Blood is needed NOW. These are extraordinary times, which test the character of society at large. It is necessary for all of us to put our hands up and rise to the occasion. Some lives cannot be considered more important than others. Whilst we take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we cannot forget that innumerable patients with other medical conditions may lose their lives due to non-availability of blood.

It is easily possible to organize a micro blood donation drive in the premises of your society. All guidelines issued by the government with respect to safety will be followed by the blood bank. Residents, who are healthy and meet the eligibility criteria, can maintain social distancing norms, come in turns, donate blood, and go back to their homes. In fact, it is safer to donate blood in the society premises than to go to a grocery store or a local chemist.

Making blood available to patients with various serious medical conditions is the crying need of the hour. This humanitarian act, which will save lives, will be appreciated very much by the entire medical fraternity, who are stretched to the limit and battling hard.

Here's how a micro blood donation camp can be organized in your premises keeping all safety measures in place : Organize a Micro Camp

Currently the whole world is in the grip of Covid-19. It is very important for every citizen to strictly follow the advisories issued by the government. Preventing and controlling the spread of this virus is top priority. At the same time the health authorities are also concerned about meeting the requirement of blood components for patients with various medical conditions. Adequacy and safety of blood is very necessary. Blood Centres, the world over, depend on voluntary blood donors to ensure that blood stocks do not get depleted.

Unfortunately, Blood Centres today have very serious concerns about their ability to meet the demands from various patients for blood and its components. It is very important that healthy, voluntary blood donors come forward to donate blood.

Think Foundation has joined hands with "You Too Can Run" to facilitate voluntary blood donations and address shortage of blood in Blood Centres. "You Too Can Run" is an organization which promotes good health with the mantra "We promote running for good health". The organization has come forward to assist Think Foundation in this crucial time of need, as part of their social initiative.

Health citizens have the option of walking to the nearest blood centre to ensure availability of blood for a fellow citizen. The attached link provides citizens of Mumbai, who volunteer to donate blood, with the facility of registering their names. They can choose the blood centre that is most convenient for them, and book a preferred time slot. This will ensure that there is no bunching of donors. A confirmation will be sent to people who have registered, which will make it easy for them to travel to and from the Blood Centre.

These are extraordinary times which test the character of society. It is necessary for all of us to put our hands up, and make a difference.

Please register and book your slot NOW.