There is a new emphasis on the need for blood donations for the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Anguilla. It follows an awareness campaign which culminated with the launch of the Sir Frank Worrell Blood Donor Registration Drive – on the grounds of the Scouts and Guides Ruthwill Auditorium – on June 18, 2015 under the WHO theme: ‘Thank you for saving my life’.
There is already a longstanding list of blood donors on the island, but the now annual Sir Frank Worrell Blood Donor Registration Drive is aimed at increasing that number significantly. The Open Campus of the University of the West Indies and the Health Authority of Anguilla are partnering in that endeavour, as part of a regional initiative.
Anguillian Dr. Phyllis Fleming-Banks, Manager for UWI’s Open Campus sites in Anguilla, BVI, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands and Bermuda, was a key figure in the launch of the blood registration drive in Anguilla.
She said it had its background in 1962 when the captain of the Indian Cricket Team touring the Caribbean, Nari Contractor, was felled by a bouncer in Barbados. He needed emergency brain surgery and Sir Frank (then captain of the West Indies Team) was one of the first to donate blood, and he encouraged his fellow players to do so as well. In recognition of that magnanimous gesture, the Voluntary Blood Donation Association of the State of West Begal (India) named an annual blood collection day “The Frank Worrell Blood Donation Day”. Since then, the UWI Mona and St. Augustine campuses have staged two blood donations per year – and a number of Eastern Caribbean territories (except Anguilla) undertook to have the blood donation registrations once per year. Anguilla has now joined those territories with the launch of the Sir Frank Worrell Blood Donation Registration Drive.
“The UWI Open Campus Anguilla, and the Health Authority, pay tribute to the legacy of Sir Frank Worrell and all other blood donors,” Dr. Fleming-Banks told the recent gathering of blood donors in recalling the late cricketer’s varied contributions to cricket and the UWI. “We thank you for joining us in following Sir Frank’s example by registering to be a donor, or just showing your support and appreciation to those who, through their gift of blood, continue to save lives on Anguilla.”
Minister of Health and Social Development, Mr. Evans McNiel Rogers, a former Laboratory Technician, commended a number of persons in the gathering, including the Vanterpool brothers, for their long history of donating blood in Anguilla. He encouraged other persons to follow their example, noting the importance of saving lives. He stressed that donating blood was a noble undertaking and dispelled any fear about doing so, saying it was a safe procedure.
Mr. George Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Authority, said his organisation had immediately responded to Dr. Fleming-Banks’ inquiry about the possibility of the Health Authority partnering with the UWI Open Campus to host the blood donation drive.
He continued: “As you may know, so far this initiative has been mounted in Antigua, St. Kitts-Nevis, Dominica, British Virgin Islands, St. Vincent & The Grenadines and Dominica. We are therefore honoured to mount this Anguilla launch.
“Please register so that we can contact you when this precious life-saving resource is required by your family, friends, neighbours or visitors – to save lives.”
A number of persons at the launch registered with members of the Health Authority’s laboratory team as new blood donors. Other interested persons are encouraged to follow their example.
