In continuation of the Anti-Leprosy Day celebrations, The Leprosy Mission Trust India’s (TLMTI) Kothara Community Hospital, in Kothara, Maharashtra, in partnership with the Assistant Director of Health Services, Amravati district, Maharashtra, organised a blood donation camp at the hospital, on January 31. A total of 35 people, including 20 persons with disabilities, donated blood in this camp.

Mr Suresh Dhondge, Programme Manager, TLMTI’s Inclusive Holistic Development of Individuals with Disabilities (IHDID) project has this to say about persons with disabilities donating blood, “This is the first time persons with disabilities donated blood. There is a popular perception that their blood is impure because of their disability and hence no one asks them to donate blood. We did a lot of sensitisation to break this misconception”.