Mehsana doc practises what he preaches

Vijaysinh Parmar TNN Ahmedabad: When a member of the medical profession takes the initiative to promote blood donation, it’s likely to be more effective. And, Mehsana-based orthopaedic surgeon Dr GK Patel is doing this by example. The 60-year-old will be giving blood for the 150th time on July 27. To celebrate this momentous occasion, residents of small villages and towns of the district have been organizing drives for the past few weeks. On Sunday, a number of donors gathered at Bhagyoday General Hospital in Kadi. Within a few hours, 350 bottles were collected. A similar drive in Vijapur yielded 450 bottles. Patel plans to collect 4,000 bottles from the district by D-day. Centurion blood donors from Mehsana will also be felicitated on that day. “I’m happy people from villages and small towns are getting involved in this selfless act,” says Patel. The veteran started donating in 1968 when he was still doing MBBS. “My grandfather, who was active in social service, has been my inspiration. I found blood donation the need of the hour. When I started donating, there were very few people involved in this initiative,’ he narrates. There have been times when his patients have needed blood urgently, but no one has come forward to donate. He, himself, has donated blood several times to save lives of patients. This has inspired many, including relatives of patients, to turn donors. “Dr Patel has done a commendable job in creating awareness on blood donation in the district. We have organized this camp as a tribute,” says one of the trustees of Bhagyoday General Hospital Lalji Patel. Patel is a member of Red Cross Society, Ahmedabad’s Centurion Blood Donors’ Club. “There are very few people who have donated blood 150 times. Time, age and health become constraints. But, Dr Patel has been a consistent donor,’’ says honorary secretary of the society Mahesh Trivedi.