Shirdi temple trust's blood bank collects 28k units in 2018

The Shri Sainath blood bank, operated by the trust overseeing the famous Sai Baba temple in Shirdi in Maharashtra, collected 28,183 units of blood in calendar year 2018, a senior official said.

Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust CEO Deepak Muglikar, speaking on Friday on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, told PTI that the blood bank, since its inception in 2000, had so far collected 1,77,119 units of blood.

"Before the setting up of Shri Sainath blood bank, people here had to go to Nashik and Ahmedanagar for blood. Now we provide needy patients blood at a reasonable cost of Rs 600 per unit or even free," he said.

Muglikar said private blood banks were also being allowed to hold donation camps on the Sai Baba temple premises.

"Of the 28,183 units of blood collected between January and December, 2018, the Shri Sainath blood bank collected 11,785 units while private facilities collected 16,398 units. Blood donors are given breakfast, tea and privileged entry into the temple," he said.

Arun Thorat, assistant director of Maharashtra State Blood Transfusion Council lauded the contribution of the Shri Sainath blood bank, and claimed all 336 such banks in the state were doing a good job.

According to the World Health Organisation, World Blood Donor Day serves to thank voluntary, unpaid donors for their life-saving gift and also to raise awareness of the need for regular blood donations.