DU Correspondent: The country’s 28 percent young population can help resolve the shortage of blood if young people voluntarily donate blood at least once a year.

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A B M Obaidul Islam expressed this optimism while addressing a ceremony to honour voluntary blood donors as the chief guest at IDEB Bhaban in the capital on Tuesday.

East West University Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Mohammad Ashik Mosaddik presided over the event, while M Rezaul Hasan, director of the voluntary blood donation programme addressed it

Quantum Foundation organised the ceremony as part of its regular programme to honour voluntary blood donors who have donated blood at least three, 10, 25 and 50 times. More than 300 voluntary blood donors were honoured with certificates, crests and medals in recognition of their service to humanity during the ceremony.

The DU vice-chancellor said the recognition of voluntary blood donors was a special initiative reflecting the spirit of building a new Bangladesh.

He also said patriotism is not merely a matter of emotion or slogans; rather, doing one’s work honestly and standing beside vulnerable people are the practical expressions of patriotism.

“The contribution of blood donors to meeting the country’s overall blood demand will be written in letters of gold,” he said.

At the event, 51-time Platinum blood donor Kazi Hasan Ali, 26-time Golden blood donor Rejeka Sultana and Masuma Hossain Tonni, a regular blood recipient suffering from thalassaemia, shared their experiences of voluntary blood donation.

Speakers at the reception said Quantum Lab, with a donor pool of more than 550,000 people, has been able to provide blood and blood components to help save the lives of more than 1.8 million critically ill patients from 2000 to August 2026.

Of the donors, 196 are Platinum donors who have donated blood 50 or more times, while 3,138 are Golden donors who have donated 25 to 49 times. Another 13,083 are Silver donors who have donated 10 to 24 times, while more than 58,000 are Lifelong donors who have donated at least three times.

The speakers expressed gratitude to all voluntary blood donors on behalf of Quantum Lab. The organisers also called on young people to come forward for this humanitarian service to help fully meet the country’s blood demand.