Much before the blood bank got its first physical shape on October 22, 1982, a group of few dedicated Dawoodi Bohra Medical Students had already put in three to four years of hard work into the realization of their dream of setting up a blood bank, which would one day shine on the horizon of Karachi as a star destined to provide the ailing humanity the succor of hope and life. These young medicos working under the banner of Dawoodi Bohra Medicos Association (DBMA) started the “Voluntary Blood Bank” on a very small scale. The services were limited to the evening hours only when the medical students could spare some time after their academic commitments. Their services received a positive recognition and gradually the blood bank demanded a bigger working area and extended service hours. In March 1985, the blood bank moved to a better and larger area within the premises of Sughra Bai Millwala Hospital (presently known as Saifee Hospital). The new premises inaugurated by the then Mayor of Karachi, Mr. Abdus Sattar Afghani, was now serving the masses round the clock.

In 1986, parents of a few affected thalassaemic children approached the blood bank to provide their children with blood on a regular basis. It was at this point that “The Thalassaemia Club” came into existence. Due to paucity of funds and facilities, only a handful of children were registered and provided blood regularly without exchange. These children, however, would have to get the blood transfused somewhere else. As time passed by, the young medicos graduated as doctors. Due to their professional commitments, these young doctors were finding it very difficult to continue the good work that they had initiated. Consequently, on 10^th December 1990, the BMWA was established and the two projects were formally taken over by BMWA from the DBMA. Within a year’s time, the BMWA embarked upon to address the short comings of the blood banking service and the difficulties faced by parents of thalassaemic children. It was decided to acquire in phases the necessary equipment for making the blood bank into an exemplary service centre. Simultaneously, the idea of a management centre with transfusion facility for thalassaemic children was also formalized.

In Feb. 1992, with an initial outlay of Rs. 2.3 million, the construction work of the building of the now named “Burhani Blood Bank & Transfusion Centre” was initiated. It took about three years for the project building to be completed.