Jitendra Singh calls for setting up of blood banks along highways

Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Dr. Jitendra Singh, on Friday emphasized on the need to set up blood banks along all the major highways across the country and offered to collaborate with Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohematology (ISBT) and related agencies to initiate this process.

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Addressing the 40th Annual National Conference of ISBT, the minister said that such an initiative will go a long way in providing timely help in case of road accidents, which are on a rise. He added that similar facility can be replicated in the interior belts of rural and semi-urban areas in the next phase.

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Dr. Jitendra Singh said that soon a team of experts will be visiting the districts of Kathua region of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir to work out an early implementation of this plan.

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"From the experience gained from this area, the same campaign for upgraded empowerment of blood bank facility will also be extended to other States in different parts of the country, including the northeast," he said.

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The Minister said that in the emerging scenario, the indications and requirements of blood transfusion have also undergone a change.

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"While about three decades ago, the bulk of blood transfusion was consumed by people suffering from anaemia or protein deficiency, in the present day and time, victims of road accidents and patients of chronic kidney failure resulting from diabetes, etc. have become major recipients of blood transfusion," he said.

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Dr. Jitendra Singh appreciated the efforts of ISBT and said that its role is not confined only to managing and executing blood transfusion but also spreading awareness among the society to encourage voluntary donations.