Nara Rohit Inaugurates Blood Donation Camp Organised by LV Prasad Eye Institute

L V Prasad Eye Institute conducts blood donation camp in Hyderabad as part of the Retinoblastoma Week 'Bloodline' initiative in association with NTR Memorial Trust & Blood Banks

Hyderabad, May 16, 2015: L V Prasad Eye institute (LVPEI) entered into an agreement with NTR Memorial Trust to provide blood to LVPEI's patients as per the quantity required. As part of the Retinoblastoma Week, May 10th-16th, celebrity Tollywood actor Nara Rohit inaugurated the 'Bloodline' blood donation drive at the LVPEI's Banjara Hills premises and encouraged the gathering comprising LVPEI staff, public and his fans to come forth and donate blood for a cause. The main beneficiaries of this initiative are children below the age of five who are suffering from eye cancer and also the non-paying patients at LVPEI. NTR Trust Blood Banks will provide blood completely free of cost (i.e. without the processing charges) to the needy children who undergo eye operations at LVPEI.

An identified team at LVPEI will lead the 'Bloodline' initiative in collaboration with NTR Trust Blood Bank teams, to conduct three to four blood donation camps in this calendar year at LVPEI campuses in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar by motivating all its employees and public to actively participate and donate blood - in the forthcoming months of June, July and August respectively. NTR Trust chain of Blood Banks will extend full technical support and facilitate the blood donations camps.
Actor Nara Rohit, inaugurating the Bloodline initiative said, "I am proud to be associated with such a noble initiative and with two noteworthy institutions that are doing social service. I deeply appreciate the collaboration and urge all my fans and the public to join the noble cause of blood donation for the benefit of needy children suffering from eye cancer. I will do my best to promote the Bloodline initiative in Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam too when I tour there for the publicity of my new film Asura*. Several crew members of the film and fans of Nara Rohit were present to inaugurate the noble initiative and participate in the blood donation camp to help children below the age of 5 years suffering from eye cancer.

Dr Gullapalli N Rao, Founder and Chair, L V Prasad Eye Institute said, "In our unwavering commitment to serve the community, it gives us immense contentment to be able to conduct this drive to donate blood for the needy patients. High-quality, comprehensive eye care that is equitable and sustainable is the aspiration of all involved in eye care. Proper planning together with implementation, using appropriate infrastructure, well-trained human resources, and efficient operating systems can yield the desired results."

A similar initiative was conducted last year and the aim is to mobilize at least 600 units of blood through these camps every year to meet the requirements of for critical surgical procedures provided to LVPEI's patients, including several little children being treated for Retinoblastoma eye cancer.

Over 8000 new cases of retinoblastoma are detected every year worldwide, with over 1000 new cases in India. LVPEI treats about 150 to 200 cases every year, of which 5 to 10% are in late stages. Retinoblastoma is curable if the tumor is detected early. Early diagnosis can help save the eye through chemotherapy and focal treatment, thus saving the life, eye, and the vision of the child.

According to Mr T Vishnu Vardhan, Chief Executive Officer, NTR Trust, "The Trust is glad to partner LVPEI for this noble cause. As the first standalone Blood Bank in the country to have NABH Accreditation along with ISO-9000 Certification we are committed to serving the poor and needy children suffering from eye cancer. The NTR Trust Blood Banks will do everything to extend support to these innocent children who go through excruciating pain because of Retinoblastoma. The NTR Trust Blood Banks are also supporting Thalassemia and Hemophilia patients by issuing free blood units (ie. without any processing charges). This year, we commit to extend our support to as many children as possible through LVPEI."

About L V Prasad Eye Institute
The L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) was established in 1986-87 at Hyderabad as a not-for-profit, non¬government, public-spirited, comprehensive eye care institution. LVPEI is governed by two trusts: the Hyderabad Eye Institute and the Hyderabad Eye Research Foundation. The Institute is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Prevention of Blindness and a Global Resource Center for VISION 2020: The Right to Sight initiative. LVPEI has six active arms to its areas of operations namely Clinical Services, Education, Research, Rehabilitation and Sight Enhancement Services, Eye Bank, and Public Health and Rural Outreach. For more information, visit www.lvpei.org