Sai Prema Foundation and Red Cross sign MOU to establish Blood Donation Centre

In an effort to assist the country's National Blood Bank and address the ongoing need for blood for patients, Sai Prema Foundation Fiji and Fiji Red Cross Society have signed a historic collaborative partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will see the establishment of a Blood Donation Centre at Sai Prema Foundation Fiji.

The Sai Prema Foundation Fiji says the broad vision of formalising this partnership is to develop greater cooperation, understanding, strategic alliance and partnership with the goal of serving and making a difference to the underprivileged and needy people of Fiji through a number of projects and initiatives.

They say the agreement is focused primarily on three common areas whereby Sai Prema Foundation Fiji and the Fiji Red Cross Society will collaborate to establishing a Blood Donation Centre at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital to provide a central and accessible location for blood donations.

The Foundation says they will be operating a Blood Collection Bus to facilitate blood donation drives across villages, towns, and cities nationwide.

They say by developing a Blood Processing Centre at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital it will support the Ministry of Health in providing blood services to the people of Fiji.

Additionally the Foundation says the partnership will work to raise awareness about congenital heart disease (CHD) and promote blood donation, engaging and motivating volunteers and donors throughout the country.

Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital Fiji Director, Dr. Krupali Tappoo, says she was ecstatic about the signing of this historic partnership.

Dr. Tappoo says both the Sai Prema Foundation Fiji and the Fiji Red Cross Society share similar visions and goals, and this agreement marks a significant step towards improving healthcare services in Fiji.

She says she had discussed it with the Director-General of the Fiji Red Cross Society, Ragigia Dawai about their institutions' roles and their commitment to complementing the Ministry of Health’s services.

The Red Cross Director General, Ragigia Dawai says the humanitarian efforts of the Sai Prema Foundation have made a remarkable impact in our communities, and she looks forward to a successful collaboration on these initiatives.