An Muslim man broke his Ramazan fast today to donate blood to an eight-year-old Hindu boy suffering from thalassemia in Indian city of Patna to save his life, local media reported.
Punit Kumar, the son of Bhupendra Kumar, was rushed to Gopalganj sadar hospital after drop in haemoglobin.
He required immediate blood transfusion, but the blood bank at the hospital did not have A+ blood that the boy needed. None of his family members had that blood group.
A sweeper told Bhupendra to contact a blood donating society whose number was displayed on the hospital board.
Bhupendra contacted Anwar Hussain, a member of District Blood Donor Team (DBDT), who contacted another member Jawed Alam, whose blood group was A+.
According to Times of India, Alam rushed to the hospital but the staff there refused to take his blood saying they could not allow him to donate blood while being on fast. “Jawed decided to break his fast to donate blood,” Hussain told this newspaper on Wednesday.
People born with this disease cannot make normal haemoglobin which is needed to produce healthy red blood cells. Regular blood transfusions are the only treatment available to thalassemia patients.
“Donating blood while fasting does not break one’s fast, as a substance is leaving your body. The fast is broken only when one consumes something. Although people often break fast when donate blood as they are often given something to drink afterwards,” Imarat Shariah’s general secretary Maulana Anisur Rahman Quasmi said.
Jawad Alam's generous act has drawn praise on social media.
