SAMBALPUR: For years, Ramdas Panda organised blood donation camps, mobilised donors and responded to emergency calls for blood. But it was a chance encounter with a distressed mother of two children suffering from thalassaemia at VIMSAR, Burla, during the Covid-19 pandemic that changed the course of his life.
Four years later, the former Odisha Police constable took voluntary retirement to dedicate himself to supporting thalassaemia patients, building a network of over 500 affected individuals across western Odisha and campaigning for greater awareness of the genetic blood disorder that requires lifelong blood transfusions.
The encounter with two brothers, Sipun and Papun Barik from Bargarh, in 2020 was Panda’s introduction to thalassaemia. The children were struggling to find blood for their regular transfusions as the pandemic disrupted blood donation activities and hospital services.
“I was surprised to learn that a healthy-looking child could require blood twice every month just to survive. I wanted to understand why,” the 46-year-old recalled.
After arranging blood for the two siblings, he began studying the disorder and interacting with doctors, patients and their families. What began as an effort to help two children soon evolved into a larger mission.
Panda not only took responsibility for arranging blood for the brothers but also bore their monthly travel and treatment-related expenses. At the same time, he started compiling information on thalassaemia patients across western Odisha.
From a handful of families, the initiative gradually has since grown into a WhatsApp network of more than 500 patients who use the platform to seek blood donors whenever they visit VIMSAR for transfusions. “I can now assure that any thalassaemia patient coming to VIMSAR for blood will not have to face any hassle,” Panda said.
The network eventually became more than a support group. It evolved into a platform for awareness generation and advocacy.
Panda has since conducted awareness programmes in educational institutions across the region, including Gangadhar Meher University, VSSUT and AIIMS, highlighting the importance of voluntary blood donation and premarital screening to prevent the disorder.
In 2024, after serving in the Odisha Police for more than 23 years, Panda opted for voluntary retirement to devote full-time to social service, with thalassaemia awareness becoming his primary focus.
Several young thalassaemia patients have now come forward to do their bit for the mission, helping him document the disease, connect with affected families and participate in awareness campaigns, offering hope to others that the disorder need not define their lives.
Even as his network expanded, Panda remained committed to Sipun and Papun. With regular transfusions and continuous support, both brothers are now leading normal lives and continuing their education.
Panda claimed VIMSAR currently provides regular transfusion support to 512 thalassaemia patients and remains the only hospital in western Odisha to use leukocyte filters for blood transfusions in such patients. The filters make repeated transfusions safer by reducing transfusion-related reactions and long-term complications.
The specialised facility has made VIMSAR the preferred treatment centre for patients from western Odisha and neighbouring regions. Hospital records show that 5,420 of the 28,586 blood units issued by VIMSAR over the past year were transfused to thalassaemia patients.
However, Panda believes many patients from districts such as Kalahandi continue to depend on whole blood because they are unable to travel to Burla regularly, exposing them to additional health risks associated with repeated transfusions and iron overload.
Calling for greater government intervention, Panda advocated carrier screening before marriage to prevent new cases and urged government offices, educational institutions, industries and banks to organise regular voluntary blood donation camps.
An executive body member of the Indian Red Cross Society, Odisha, he also presented an overview of the thalassaemia situation in the state during the society’s annual meeting at Lok Bhavan last year, highlighting the challenges faced by patients and the need for greater awareness, voluntary blood donation and preventive screening.
“My dream is to make Odisha thalassaemia-free and ensure 100 per cent voluntary blood donation,” he said.
A 78-time blood donor himself, Panda has organised more than 150 blood donation camps, mobilising over 15,000 units of blood so far. His social work extends beyond thalassaemia. He launched the ‘Bhojan’ initiative at VIMSAR for attendants of poor patients, an effort that continued for nearly three years. As a founding member of the NGO Sambal, he has helped cremate hundreds of unclaimed bodies, including those during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Once a cop, the crusader in Panda is not willing to stop. Not anytime soon.