LUCKNOW, June 15 -- The department of transfusion medicine at the SGPGIMS and the KGMU organised voluntary blood donation camps and donor felicitation programmes on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day on Sunday. The initiative aimed to encourage voluntary blood donation and raise awareness about its role in saving lives, particularly for patients with thalassemia, cancer, and other conditions requiring frequent blood and platelet transfusions. Addressing participants, Prof Prashant Agrawal, acting HoD, transfusion medicine, PGI, said voluntary blood donation remains one of the most impactful contributions an individual can make towards public health. He noted that a single unit of donated blood can benefit multiple patients and appealed to healthy citizens to become regular blood donors. The institute also felicitated blood donors. Health experts stressed that voluntary donors form the backbone of the healthcare system's transfusion services. Meanwhile, the department of transfusion medicine at KGMU also organised a week-long blood donation awareness week drawing participation from around 250 people on Sunday. The campaign, conducted with support from the deans of the paramedical, academic, dental and nursing faculties, featured blood grouping camps, blood donor registration drives, pledge-taking sessions and voluntary blood donation camps, said a press release shared with the media. Prof Sonia Nityanand, KGMU vice chancellor, lauded the department for its efforts to promote awareness about voluntary blood donation and thanked the donors for their contribution to saving lives, it stated. Lok Bandhu Raj Narayan (LBRN) Combined Hospital also organised a blood donation camp. Hospital's director, Dr Rajeev Dixit, Narendra Pratap Singh, Rajeev Singh and Arvind Kumar donated blood to encourage voluntary donation among the public. The camp recorded 20 registrations, 13 blood donations and 20 blood group tests, stated a press release shared with the media on Sunday. Lal Bahadur Shastri Seva Samiti and Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission members were also honoured for their significant contribution to promoting voluntary blood donation through the organisation of several blood donation camps, it stated....