NewZNew (Goa) : HDFC Bank Ltd., will hold a nationwide Blood Donation Drive on Friday December 5, 2014. This annual initiative held by HDFC Bank is now in its eighth year. The Blood Donation Drive organised by the bank in December 2013 was recognised as the largest effort of its kind across the globe, with 61,902 participants stepping forward to give blood in a single day.
This year HDFC Bank is setting up blood donation camps in even more towns and cities in order to encourage more people to come forward to be a part of this life-saving initiative. The bank will set up blood donation camps at over 1800 centres in 906 towns and cities across India.
HDFC Bank is also reaching out to youth across India for this initiative, by setting up blood donation camps at college campuses. HDFC Bank has increased the number of colleges that will participate this year, with donation centres at 736 campuses.
People who wish to donate blood can find the centre nearest to them by checking the bank website at the following link. http://www.hdfcbank.com/blooddonation
The Bank has tied up with local hospitals and blood banks across these 906 locations for technical assistance.
According to the Indian Red Cross Society, a country needs a minimum stock of blood equal to 1% of its population. This means India needs 12 million units of blood, of which we are able to collect only 9 million units.
A shortage of this life-saving resource has a major impact on victims of road accidents and trauma, women with complicated pregnancies, patients suffering from cancer and various blood disorders such as thalassemia, and people undergoing major surgeries.
“Blood cannot be manufactured. It has no artificial substitute – it can only come from generous donors. Every volunteer in our annual blood drive is taking a step that could help save a life. As a socially responsible corporate citizen we wish to do our part to narrow the gap in demand and supply of blood and make a difference in people’s lives. Come be a part of this noble mission by making an appointment to donate blood on Friday, December 5, 2014,” said Mr. Bhavesh Zaveri, Country Head – Operations, HDFC Bank.
HDFC Bank started this initiative in 2007 when over 4000 people volunteered for this cause. Since then the camp has grown in size and stature. In 2013, the bank collected 86,774units of blood from 105,356 participants over multiple days.
Facts about the blood donation process
- Donating blood is a safe process. A sterile needle is used only once for each donor and then discarded.
- Blood donation is a simple four-step process: registration, medical history and mini-physical, donation and refreshments.
- Every blood donor is given a mini-physical, checking the donor’s temperature, blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin to ensure it is safe for the donor to give blood.
- The actual blood donation typically takes less than 10-12 minutes. The entire process, from the time you arrive to the time you leave, takes about an hour and 15 min.
- The average adult has about 10 pints of blood in his body. Roughly 1 pint is given during a donation.
- One pint of blood can save roughly three lives.
- All donated blood is tested for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and other infectious diseases before it can be released to hospitals.
About HDFC BANK
Promoted in 1995 by Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), India’s leading housing finance company, HDFC Bank is one of India’s premier banks providing a wide range of financial products and services to its 28.5 million customers across hundreds of Indian cities using multiple distribution channels including a pan-India network of branches, ATMs, phone banking, net banking and mobile banking. Within a relatively short span of time, the bank has emerged as a leading player in retail banking, wholesale banking, and treasury operations, its three principal business segments.
The bank’s competitive strength clearly lies in the use of technology and the ability to deliver world-class service with rapid response time. Over the last 19 years, the bank has successfully gained market share in its target customer franchises while maintaining healthy profitability and asset quality.
As of September 30, 2013, the Bank had a distribution network with 3,251 branches and 11,177 ATMs in 2022 cities/towns.
For the quarter ended September 30, 2013, the Bank’s total income was INR 119.37 billion (`11,937.7 crore) as against INR 101.46 billion (`10,146.7 crore) for the quarter ended September 30, 2012. Net revenues (net interest income plus other income) were INR 63.20 billion (`6,320.9 crore) for the quarter ended September 30, 2013, as against INR 53.37 billion (`5,353.7 crore) for the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Net Profit for the quarter ended September 30, 2013, was INR 19.82 billion (`1,982.3 crore), up by 27.1% over the corresponding quarter ended September 30, 2012.
Total income for the year ended March 31, 2013, was INR 419.175 billion (`41,917.5 crore).
Leading Indian and international publications have recognised the bank for its performance and quality.