VISAKHAPATNAM: What began as an NCC activity in 1982 became a service for this Vizag man for the next four decades. For K Bhaskar, blood donation is his top priority and having O negative blood group he never misses out to the rescue of the needy.
Bhaskar, a general manager at Steel Melting Shop (SMS) in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, recently completed his 50th blood donation at the age of 56 years.
He said that while studying intermediate he was picked up as a part of the NCC team to donate blood at KGH. At that time there was misapprehension among the people about blood donation.He discreetly went for the blood donation. There he came to know that his was a rare blood group.
After his maiden blood donation he realised the fact that blood donation was 100 per cent safe. For the first few years, Bhaskar donated blood occasionally but made it a regular practice after he joined the SMS.
He said it was totally untrue that blood donation will cause health problems. Though he had donated blood for 50 times in the last four decades he did not have any health issues and did not take even a single tablet all these years.
"Besides, the health booklet given to me at the hospital when I began blood donation is continuing even today without addition of new pages all these years. This speaks to how healthy I have been and continue to be," Bhaskar told The New Indian Express.
The general manager said he did not take any special diet but avoided outside food. Bhaskar said he stopped donating blood at donation camps long ago and instead he chose to give blood to those who require fresh blood in cases of emergency.
He took this decision as many people struggle to find rare blood groups such as O negative, he said. He also donated blood when 19 people died at the oxygen distribution plant burst at SMS unit in 2012 and also gave blood at a donation camp organised to mark the anniversary of the SMS plant accident.
These two occasions were an exception, he said. When the mother of a steel plant employee required O negative blood during cardiac surgery Bhaskar donated blood for the 50th time at a corporate hospital. He has been giving blood at least three times in a year and some times four times, he said and added that he never said no to blood donation if he is approached.
"COVID pandemic has changed the attitude of the people towards blood donation. They realised how important it is to donate blood as several people had to run from pillar to post for blood," Bhaskar said.
He also donated blood three times during the pandemic. "Blood is God's gift and cannot be manufactured. It can only be procured through donation by people," he said and added, "Among all donations, blood donation is the best as it will save scores of lives."