Brandix has been lauded as the ‘Largest Corporate Blood Donor’ in Sri Lanka for the ninth consecutive year by the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), following the contribution of over 4,000 pints of blood from the company’s employees in 2018-19.
Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, Hon. Dr. Rajitha Senaratne presented Brandix with a special plaque of appreciation at a national ceremony on World Blood Donor Day, recognising the Group’s contribution towards the national need. The accolade was accepted on behalf of Brandix by Sujith Jayasekara, Senior General Manager – Group HR and a Brandix Associate representing employees from the 23 Brandix locations that participated in the Group-wide blood donation drive.
The largest contributions from the Brandix Group were from Batticaloa and Polonnaruwa, with a contribution of 768 pints and 679 pints respectively. Brandix has organised annual blood drives in collaboration with the NBTS for the past 12 years, during which, the Group’s Associates have donated 32,766 pints of blood in total.
“As a corporate that is deeply-rooted in Sri Lanka, we consider it our duty to drive and sustain initiatives that inspire and uplift our people, our communities and our nation, and the Brandix Blood Donation Drive is an ideal representation of this mission. The continued commitment of our employees – or our Inspired People – as we rightly address them at Brandix, enable us to conduct a successful blood drive and increase our contribution to the National Blood Transfusion Service year after year. It is also significant to note that one out of every hundred blood donors in Sri Lanka is from Brandix, reinforcing the magnitude of our efforts that stemmed from an inspired vision and inspired acts of selflessness by our people,” said Ishan Dantanarayana, Chief People Officer of the Brandix Group.
According to the NBTS, donations of this scale over a significant period of time are necessary to meet the establishment’s blood supply requirements. By being geographically widespread, the Brandix campaign increases supplies of blood in many areas, including those that do not often receive donations of a higher volume in comparison to areas like Colombo. Brandix blood donation campaigns are also conducted on weekdays instead of the general norm of weekends, which is particularly helpful in sustaining blood platelets that have a lifespan of five days, to be utilised during the course of the week.