Mangalore, 23 January 2011: He is a policeman by profession, but a doctor by training. This explains the presence of A Subrahmanyeswara Rao, superintendent of police, Dakshina Kannada at a blood donation camp organised by South Kanara Physiotherapy Teachers’ Association as part of Physio Week-2011 at District Government Wenlock Hospital here on Saturday. The blood donation camp was the second event in the ongoing Physio Week.
Rao not only inaugurated the camp, but also donated blood, which incidentally was the 1,000th unit of blood collected by the Association in the blood donation camps that it has been organising as part of the Physio Week for the past 11 years. Rao, who has donated blood 22 times till date since 1992, when he was a MBBS student at Bangalore Medical College, donated blood for the 23rd time, much to the delight of the organisers.
Rao, in a lighter vein told STOI that he allowed the doctor in him come to the fore for a change, keeping the policeman in him and all the attendant worries that the post brings with it, to the background. His presence at the event was a clear indicator that DK rural police, which he heads, had made fool proof arrangements to meet any likely law and order fall out of an overnight bandh call given by the state unit of BJP on Saturday.
Bandobast arrangements during bandhs are a major challenge to the police department, who have to ensure that no untoward incidents take place and deal firmly with elements out to create trouble or take advantage of the situation to foment trouble. Rao observed that advances in medicine have added years to life but physiotherapy has made life easier. The unit of blood donated by him as well as 99 others would make life better for others.