If there is a way to show how good citizens could come together to show its solidarity, QI’s 20th Anniversary Blood Donation and Organ Pledge Campaign would be the best example.
This was evident when people from all walks of life gathered to donate and pledge during the campaign held recently at Nu Sentral, a prominent shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 22-23 September 2018.
It was a milestone achievement for Vijayaratnam Foundation as the event organizer, in partnership with the National Blood Centre and National Transplant Resource Centre of Malaysia. This event saw a total of 150 blood donors and 77 organ pledges registered over the two days.
The campaign was supported by 100 volunteers from the various departments of QI Group as part of their SSR commitment in engaging with the community and spreading awareness about the campaign.
“The initiative to organize a campaign like this in a shopping mall should be applauded as it provides convenience and accessibility,” said Fairuz Khai, 25 who is a regular donor.
Meanwhile, it is very encouraging to see that the organ donation drive was able to attract donors as young as 19 years old and also an entire family of three to sign up. This positive response goes to show that the cultural taboos surrounding organ donation is slowly diminishing and awareness among Malaysians is rising.
As a medical student at Universiti Malaya, Roovam Balasubramaniam 19 said, “I pledged today as this is something very close to heart being a medical student and is one way for me to contribute to the healthcare service.”