Lahore: Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abdul Kareem on Friday launched a month-long province-wide voluntary blood donor registration campaign in collaboration with the Punjab Safe Cities Authority’s Virtual Blood Bank to strengthen emergency blood donation services across the province.
A Punjab Police spokesperson said the campaign would run from August 8 to September 8 with the objective of encouraging police personnel, educational institutions, civil society and the general public to register as voluntary blood donors and ensure timely availability of blood during medical emergencies.
The IGP directed all police officers and personnel to register themselves with the Virtual Blood Bank as voluntary blood donors. He announced that police personnel donating blood through the platform would be awarded a CC-II certificate, a minimum honorarium of Rs1, 000 and one day of special leave.
Abdul Kareem also instructed heads of all police formations to personally supervise the registration campaign and launch awareness drives in their respective jurisdictions in collaboration with educational institutions, civil society and other relevant organisations.
Under the campaign, students, teachers and citizens at universities and colleges would be encouraged to register as voluntary blood donors, with special focus on those studying Social Work, Criminology, Medicine, Nursing and Public Health.
The IGP further directed that designated police officers would serve as Virtual Blood Bank ambassadors in their respective areas to expand the blood donor network in coordination with educational institutions, civil society and other organisations. Citizens donating blood through the Virtual Blood Bank would also be issued Community Service Certificates.
The spokesperson said the Punjab Safe Cities Authority’s Virtual Blood Bank had so far facilitated blood provision in more than 72, 000 cases, while over 133, 000 voluntary blood donors had been registered on the platform.
He said the database included police personnel, citizens, civil society organisations and blood donor groups, enabling patients to be connected with suitable blood donors immediately during medical emergencies.
The spokesperson urged citizens to register themselves as blood donors or seek blood through the Virtual Blood Bank by calling Emergency Helpline 15 and pressing option 4 to become part of the humanitarian initiative.