Ours is a religion that preaches compassion, saving lives and giving.

Most Bhutanese have been forthcoming so far, when it came to donating blood, which actually saves lives; and that in a way is showing compassion.

Yesterday, about 130 monks from Tango Buddhist college queued up at the blood counter to help replenish its stock by 121 units.

The Thimphu national referral hospital, the blood bank in-charge, Dr Mahrukh Getshen, said, used between 16 and 25 units of blood everyday for patients.

“The 121 units the monks donated should be used within 35 days,” Dr Mahrukh Getshen said.

She said one unit of blood could be split among three patients, thanks to the technology that is now available at the Thimphu hospital.

Health officials said they could not entertain the blood donations of about eight monks, who, through a blood test, were found to be suffering from high blood pressure, while some had low haemoglobin.

“Some were heart patients and some were under medication,” a health official said.

The monks decided to donate blood in coincidence with their summer retreat, which began some time last month.

“We’d decided to donate blood during our ‘yarney’ or summer retreat every year,” one of the monks, Tshering Namgay, said. “This is the second time we’re donating.”

Sonam Dorji, 19, said donating blood was considered generous and giving which is a good deed going by our religion.

The 121 units of blood will still need to be tested for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B and C.

The retreat, a story of the lord Buddha explains, began when his Buddhist pupils were accused by Jains, adherents of Jainism, for moving about frequently, particularly during sum

zmers, when the paths were teeming with insects, which the monks unknowingly trampled.

That went against the Buddhist preaching of compassion and saving lives. Thus the Buddha decided to confine his pupils to a month-long retreat in caves between July and August.

Some health official complained that, although blood was available at the hospital on a replacement basis, a few government officials took advantage of such facilities, but failed to replenish it. Which was like spilling the compassion-filled donations.

However, the rule is not applied to people visiting the hospital from remote areas. Source: Kuenselonline