Jeweller plans to run from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in bid to set up blood donation registry

Boby Chemmanur, of Chemmanur International Jewellers, plans to run the 115km from Dubai to Abu Dhabi as part of his campaign, Give blood, save lives.

DUBAI // A jeweller plans to spread the word about the importance of blood donation and create a registry of donors available to give blood to UAE hospitals at short notice.

Boby Chemmanur, chairman and director of the India-based Chemmanur International Jewellers, which has branches in the UAE, plans to run 115 kilometres from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in his campaign, Give Blood, Save Lives.

“The purpose of the campaign is to encourage people to understand the importance of donating blood,” Mr Chemmanur said on Wednesday.

“The run is to get people to notice and understand. This will also help us create a database of donors. Whenever there is need for blood in a hospital, we will contact the donors and send them to the hospital.”

Blood banks in the UAE regularly face shortages and campaigns are held to encourage people to give the gift of life and lift stock levels.

Mr Chemmanur’s campaign coincides with the World Health Organisation’s 11th World Blood Donor Day, on June 14.

The WHO says about 107 million blood donations are collected worldwide every year, about half of which are collected in high-income countries.

But many patients needing transfusions do not have timely access to safe blood.

Mr Chemmanur said his efforts were part of a global campaign to establish a database of blood donors in different countries.

The first phase was launched in India in April, where he ran 812km in 200 hours. He is planning a 1,000km run in the US, followed by the UAE run. Dates for both runs have yet to be set. “About 1.5 million people signed up from different states after I did my marathon in India,” Mr Chemmanur said.

He also hopes to establish blood banks in the UAE and India in the future.

The jeweller, who also runs a charity for orphans in India, said he took up the cause after seeing a road accident in Bangalore.

“A man had been severely injured and was taken to hospital,” he said. “The family had to pay money and arrange for the blood. They had to wait two hours and he sadly died because he was not able to get blood on time.

“It was then I thought, ‘we have blood, which we can easily donate and save lives. We don’t lose anything by giving some blood’.”