Civic body to decide on blood bank project

Stuck between the dispute of workers’ union and the civic body, the state government have now asked the civic standing committee and the general body to sort the issue pertaining to the metro blood bank project, that is to come up at Sion hospital.

Stuck between the dispute of workers’ union and the civic body, the state government have now asked the civic standing committee and the general body to sort the issue pertaining to the metro blood bank project, that is to come up at Sion hospital.

HT Image

The bone of contention is the land that has been identified for the project. This space was meant for the expansion of Sion hospital. Hence, the workers’ union is against the use of this space for a blood bank.

With this project, the city will get a mother of all blood banks. The central government will be funding the project, the estimated cost of which is Rs340 crore, under the modernisation of blood banks scheme.

Health minister Suresh Shetty has said that the decision on the blood bank will be taken by the civic body. Shetty added that if they are unable to reach a consensus, the civic body should consider shifting the blood bank to the ESIC hospital, a government-run hospital at Mulund.

The blood bank will have high-tech facility and would be both a service centre as well as a referral centre. It would not just boost voluntary blood donation but would come handy in the event of a disaster. On the cards, is a fully automated set-up for blood testing and facilities that would provide all types of blood components. It would also boast of a futuristic technology to conduct research on stems cells and artificial blood.