Welfare Kerala Kuwait celebrates Eid-Onam festivals

Dubai: A blood donation drive was conducted by Karnataka Sports and Cultural Club (KSCC) at in Al Wasl Club Stadium here on Friday, 26th June 2020.

The drive started around 1:00 pm and continued till 4:00 pm as per schedule provided by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Blood Donation Centre and 60 people donated blood to support the Blood Bank. The drive was well organised by maintaining social distance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As blood cannot be produced but only can be donated, this drive will help many patients in need of blood during emergencies. Donors were also feeling proud and happy at this moment thinking of saving someone’s life.

DHA Blood Donation Centre staff carried out the screening and testing done in very well manner keeping social distancing during this pandemic. Volunteers of KSCC were also helping the staff to keep people in safe distance and to make this drive a success.

KSCC Manager Mr. Mohammad Shafi and other office bearers were present at the event venue. KSCC thanked the volunteers, Community Development of Authority (CDA), Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Blood Donation Centre, Government of Dubai and Al Wasl Club Stadium for making the event successful.

Mangaluru, May 22: An elderly cardiac patient from Dakshina Kannada, who was stranded in Saudi Arabia due to covid-19 lock-down, has finally reached his homeland thanks to the timely intervention by Humanity Forum Jubail and Indian Social Forum.

The elderly man hailing from Kadaba area of Dakshina Kannada was admitted to a hospital in Madinah. However, his condition continued to worsen due to lack of proper treatment. The efforts by his family members to bring him back home had not yielded results.

Meanwhile, one of the relatives of the patient, Ansari Suratkal, who happens to be a DKSC activist, brought the issue to the notice of the Karnataka unit of the Indian Social Forum in Dammam. ISF contacted Humanity Forum president Zakariya Jokatte, who helped the patient to speak directly union minister D V Sadananda Gowda in a video conference organised by coastaldigest.com.

Humanity Forum also persuaded the Indian Embassy to allow the stranded cardiac patient to fly back to India through Dammam-Bengaluru repatriation flight on May 20. 

However, it was not easy for the patient to travel from Madinah to Dammam International Airport due to lock-down and curfew. ISF not only obtained travel permission for him but also arranged vehicle. Jeddah and Riyadh units of ISF helped in obtaining permission letter in their respective places in spite of travel ban imposed by the police. Madinah unit of ISF arranged vehicle for transportation. Zakariya Jokatte bore the air ticket and other expenses of the patient.

The Overseas Indian Cultural Congress (OICC), Bahrain, has charted aircrafts to repatriate stranded expatriates to India. 

Boby Parayil, General Secretary, OICC National Committee, Bahrain has thanked all those who supported in this cause.

“The aircrafts were not licensed and were in crisis until the last minute. Finally, Mohammed Mansoor, president of Bahrain chapter of Indian Overseas Congress approached IOC Middle East in charge Dr Arathi Krishna, who helped get permission to operate flight to Kozhikode,” he said in a release. 

All mandatory approvals from the Foreign Ministry of Affairs and other government officials were accomplished by Dr Arathi Krishna. OICC has expressed gratitude to her for her timely support, he said. 

OICC is also grateful to former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy for doing necessary arrangements to get all the approvals for flight landing in Kerala, he added.