By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, November 13: The Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC), Chandigarh, organized a Blood donation camp at the Potala Market, Sector 17 in Chandigarh on Friday in honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama turning 80 this year.
The Chandigarh chapter of the largest Tibetan NGO aims to help patients coming from various places to the city for medical treatments and to meet the requirements of blood unit during emergency cases.
Speaking to Phayul, Ngayou, General Secretary of RTYC Chandigarh, “Our organization only has around 60 students, of which only 30 could donate blood. So we are very thankful to Tibetans doing winter business in Chandigarh and Ambala for extending a big help in making this drive a success.”
Over 130 people took part in this blood camp and the organization managed to collect 71 units of blood under name of Tsering Dolker, also known popularly as Teresa for her several years of free assistance to patients at the PGI Hospital, one of the biggest hospital in northern India.
“Each year more Tibetan patients come here for treatment and major surgeries, for example Stomach cancer, which need more than 3 units of blood. So having blood ready at a disposal through this blood camp will be an immense help in the future,” Tsering told Phayul.
The Tibetan humanitarian also cleared that the blood collected will be made available even to Indian patients, she said, “If they (Indian patients) approach me for help, I will help them as well. Ultimately it is all for a good cause.” She urged the organization to make such social drive a yearly affair.
Expressing similar view, Ngayou said, “We had few problems before initiating it. Now that it is done, we are planning to continue for the benefit of all the patients and also work on the glitches we faced this year.”
