CMC Sandhani -- a life-saving symbol for the poor

Sandhani, a voluntary organisation of medical students, is well known for providing poor and distressed patients with life-saving blood and brining eyesight to the blind in the country.

The organisation that started its journey with 25 young medical students and a professor through donating blood to the Blood Bank of Dhaka Medical College (DMC) on November 2 in 1978 is now carrying out its life-saving activities with the help of its several thousand dedicated members of its 15 units at medical and dental colleges.

Established in 1982, the Sandhani unit at Chittagong Medical College (CMC) made significant contribution in collecting blood and cornea.

Run by a 23-member executive committee, it collected the highest number of 6160 bags of blood in 2002-2003 while DMC Sandhani collected the second highest number of bags, sources said.

Till May 31 this year, the Chittagong unit collected 3515 blood of bags which is also the highest number according to the half-yearly estimate, said its leaders.

Blood are collected only from the volunteers, including 98 regular donors and over 300 members of the unit, said CMC unit General Secretary Juli Chowdhury.

The annual demand for blood transfusion in the country is 2.50 lakh bags, of which around 65 percent is supplied by professional donors while 15 percent by the relatives and 12 percent by the volunteers, said the Sandhani leaders quoting the report of a survey conducted in 2000.

The annual demand for blood transfusion in Chittagong division was estimated to be 1,00,000 units and the Sandhani supplies over 20 percent of the demand, they said.

According to an unofficial estimate, the demand for blood transfusion in the country stood at around 3.50 lakh bags in 2003-2004 while the organisation collected 43,580 bags through its units.

However, the figure of total demand would be much higher if the data on blood transfusions, taking place at the district and upazila hospitals, can be collected properly.

But many hospital and clinics, even in the city, show reluctance to provide the data, said CMC Sandhani Organising Secretary Nirmal Kumar Bishwas.

If a proper study is conducted under the Blood Transfusion Act, expected to be introduced by next year, the annual demand could go up to five lakh bags, he added.

Talking to The Daily Star, the members regretted that the bulk of blood supply come from professional donors, who are mostly addicted and involved in various anti-social activities. Their blood also carries deadly germs, they added.

They also called for increasing voluntary blood donation and raising awareness among young people on blood transfused diseases.

They said Sandhani gets all collected blood screened and it was trying to include Aids test in its screening system.

But the Elisa (Enzyme Link Immuno Solvang Assay) Reader machine needed for AIDS test would cost around Tk 4 lakh, which the CMC Sandhani could not afford at this moment due to lack of financial support.

However, they said, a company has assured them of donating the machine.

The CMC unit leaders regretted that although they provide blood free of cost, the poor patients had to pay the price of the bags (empty) only.

They said that DMC Sandhani under an arrangement get 100 bags (empty) from the DMC Blood Bank every month. But there is no such arrangement between the CMC Sandhani and CMC Blood Bank for the bags, which the poor patients are expected to be provided with free of cost, they added.

Apart from blood collection, CMC Sandhani also made remarkable achievement in collecting cornea.

Sandhani, with the help of its sister organisation Sandhani National Eye-donation Society (SNES), encouraged 32,894 people to commit to posthumous eye donation.

The former members of Sandhani formed the SNES on November 25, 1984 to collect and help transplantation of cornea in a noble venture to restore eyesight to the blind.

Sources said Sandhani, together with SNES, has so far collected 52 corneas from posthumous donors while 1369 from unidentified bodies and helped bring back the vision of 1,302 people.

Regarding the collection of cornea, the CMC Sandhani had a greater success as it alone collected 39, out of the 52 corneas, Press and Publication Secretary Mashiur Rahman said.