Banking on bikers’ help, city couple sets sight on getting blood to patients

But when that happens, a Delhi couple along with a bikers’ club will probably do what has never been done before: connect with willing donors of such rare blood groups through SMSes, emails and phone calls while the bikers speed up help to patients who need it urgently.

City businessman Rahul Verma, who launched the initiative along with wife Tulika through a website, says the idea is to maintain a record of people with rare blood groups so that help can reach those in dire need. And, his website’s tie up with nationwide bikers’ group xBhp ensures that help can be reached at the earliest.

The website calls for donors of AB-negative, B-negative, A-negative and O-negative blood types.

Arranging rare blood group is always a tough task, Verma says. He has the example of son Arjunuday, whose multiple congenital disorders were aggravated by the fact that he was born AB-positive, a rare blood group. “After seven correction surgeries, nine hospital stays, and over Rs 1 million in expenses, Arjunuday is still undergoing follow-ups for his renal functions, urine reflux and blood pressure and a host of other congenital defects,” he says.

Awareness on these ailments is still low, Verma says, and “getting started on the search for rare blood groups draws a blank with most people”.

The National Aids Control Organisation’s (NACO) findings also support Verma: only 24 per cent of Delhi’s population donate blood.

His solution: a website that invites people to register as donors, and also those interested in being volunteers at awareness drives. “The response was overwhelming but the problem is there’s more demand and far fewer donors in comparison,” Verma says.

The bikers’ club, he says, would help immensely in reaching help to patients quickly. “The club’s volunteers would always be available always for needy patients of the RH negative groups (O negative, A negative, B negative and AB negative).”

Verma also plans to launch awareness drives with the Delhi government’s help. “We are meeting Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit this week. She has expressed interest in the initiative and we hope to take it further with state help.”