GUWAHATI: In a bid to sensitise people for voluntary blood donation and generate awareness among them, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today, as a part of the state government's initiative, flagged off five mobile blood donation vans at Janata Bhawan here today.
It may be noted that in the year 2022-23, the Assam State Blood Transfusion Council, with the aid received from the state government and the National Health Mission, purchased five mobile blood donation vans for Rs. 4.43 crore. Of this, Rs. 2.07 crore was given by the state government, and the remaining Rs. 2.27 crore was received from NHM. Each of these vans will be deployed at Kokrajhar Medical College and Hospital, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, S.M. Deb Civil Hospital at Cachar, Mangaldoi Civil Hospital at Darrang district, and Sivasagar Civil Hospital at Sivasagar district. These vans will be put into service in far-flung areas to sensitise people to voluntary blood donations and reach the target of 100 percent voluntary blood donations.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the state government in the year 2019-20 bought 11 mobile blood donation vans. With the addition of these five vans, the scale of voluntary blood donations will increase. It will also help the poor patients receive the required blood during emergencies. All the voluntary blood donation vans put together have been able to accumulate 10,886 units of blood during the COVID pandemic. The Chief Minister said that in the current financial year, another five more mobile vans will be bought and put into service. All the district civil hospitals and medical colleges will be provided with the service of mobile voluntary blood donation vans.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Keshab Mahanta, PHE, Tourism, etc., Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, Principal Secretary to Health and Family Welfare Department Avinash Joshi, and a few senior officers and a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion, a press release said.
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