Punjab health and family welfare minister Balbir Singh inaugurated the upgraded blood component separation unit at the civil hospital in Mohali on Monday. He also launched two blood collection and transportation vans.
Addressing the nursing and medical students, staff and members of the Punjab State Blood Transfusion Council, Singh said, “It is the 27th blood component separation unit in the government sector that has been launched at the civil hospital. This unit will provide packed red cells, fresh frozen plasma, platelets, platelet concentrate, cryoprecipitate and platelets rich plasma.”
The health minister announced that blood components will be provided free to the patients. Private hospitals can avail these services at a nominal price. Punjab has 182 licensed blood centres, out of which 49 are run by government health facilities, seven by military and 126 by private institutes.
The blood collection and transportation vans, which can store 100 units at a time and comprise two couches, will be beneficial for outdoor camps.
He added that the Punjab government was going to upgrade eight more blood centres to blood component separation units, which include Indian Red Cross Ludhiana, Rajpura, Malerkotla, Kotkapura, Batala, Fazilka, Khanna and Anandpur Sahib. Four new blood centres have been planned to be set up in Sunam, Dera Bassi, SBS Nagar and Samana.
{{/usCountry}}He added that the Punjab government was going to upgrade eight more blood centres to blood component separation units, which include Indian Red Cross Ludhiana, Rajpura, Malerkotla, Kotkapura, Batala, Fazilka, Khanna and Anandpur Sahib. Four new blood centres have been planned to be set up in Sunam, Dera Bassi, SBS Nagar and Samana.
{{/usCountry}}Singh remarked that achieving the third national rank in voluntary blood donation had boosted the state’s morale, ensuring safe and effective handling of blood components for medical use. He added that Punjab government’s blood centres had contributed 1,83,600 units of blood against the total collected units across the state during 2023-24.
Moreover, 1,82,211 units of blood were donated voluntarily at government hospitals, constituting 99% of the donation.
The event was attended by Punjab Health Systems Corporation MD Varinder Kumar Sharma; Ambedkar Institute of Medical Sciences director-principal Bhavneet Bharti; SDM Mohali Damandeep Kaur; Punjab State AIDS Control Society additional project director Bobby Gulati; blood transfusion services Punjab joint director Sunita Devi; civil surgeon Renu Singh, and SMO HS Cheema.