Satananda Bhattacharjee/Hailakandi

Dr Shabnam Bahar Barabhuiya, head and medical officer of the Silchar-based Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre - Blood Centre, has recently been awarded at the national level for creating awareness about voluntary blood donation among the common people in various areas of the Barak Valley’s villages.

Dr Barbhuiya was awarded 'Champion of Rural Surgery' for her relentless and exemplary role in propagating the voluntary blood donation movement in all the villages and towns of the Barak Valley over the past few years.

Dr Shabnam Bahar Barabhuiya showing her award 

She was honoured with the award at the 30th annual conference of the Association of Rural Surgeons of India held at West Bengal’s Haldia-based IIMSAR and Dr BC Roy Hospital on February 5. The honour was conferred on five doctors and as many paramedical staff from across the country. Dr Barbhuiyan is the only doctor from the Northeast to receive the award.

Dr Barabhuiya said, “I am overwhelmed by this recognition in West Bengal. This honour will motivate me more to fulfil my professional duties. I give the credit to all the blood donors, voluntary organisations and blood centre workers for this achievement. I thank the Barak Valley Voluntary Blood Donors Forum especially, for standing by our blood centre and working tirelessly for the society.”

Substantiating her mission, Dr Bharbhuiya said: “Many patients still lose their lives because they do not get blood on time. Thus, it is very important to create awareness so that healthy people donate blood regularly.”

Dr Shabnam Bahar Barabhuiya in the hospital

According to her close associates, Dr Barbhuiya has been championing the cause of blood donation over the past half a decade and would leave no stone unturned to spread awareness about it. She believes that awareness can bring about a sea of change in the people’s mindset on blood donation, and thus, she works relentlessly to promote it at all levels, said one of her associates.

Meanwhile, various organisations of the Barak Valley have hailed Dr Barbhuiya for having received this prestigious award. The Barak Valley Voluntary Blood Donors Forum, a pioneer of the voluntary blood donation movement in Barak Valley, has also congratulated Dr Barbhuiya for the achievement. The Cachar district unit of the Forum organised a formal felicitation ceremony on February 10 in honour of Dr Barabhuiya at the Cachar Cancer Hospital Blood Centre.

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Several functionaries of the Forum, including Debabrata Pal, Dr Manoj Kumar Pal, Ashu Pal, Anup Dutta, Sabyasachi Rudragupta and Sujoy Nath, were present at the function where Dr Barbhuiya was presented with an Uttariya (traditional scarf) and a memento.