Public health: Construction of two blood centres complete: Rafique

Govt plans to set up a telephone helpline to let people contact these centres

LAHORE:

The construction of regional blood centres (RBCs) at Multan and Bahawalpur has been completed. The facilities would be inaugurated very soon, Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique said on Monday.

He was speaking at a meeting of the committee formed to oversee the establishment of six RBCs in the province.

He said each RBC would be attached to a public sector hospital. He said a donors database would be prepared and a telephone helpline set up for smooth functioning of these centres. Rafique said help would be sought from the Punjab Information Technology Board for the purpose.

The meeting was told that project design (PC-I) had been approved for the RBC to be set up in Faisalabad. It was decided that two RBCs would be set up in Lahore, out of which one would be attached to Jinnah Hospital.

Rafique said committees, comprising elected representatives, had been established in all divisions to launch an awareness raising campaign on the importance of blood donation and on the use of screened blood. He said he hoped that as a result of the campaign a large number of youth would register their names for the donors’ database.

The meeting was told that the RBCs would be run on the pattern of the Indus Blood Centre in Karachi.

Health Secretary Jawwad Rafique Malik said the government would consult Prof Saba Jamal from the Indus Hospital and Blood Bank, Karachi, for the purpose. He said Jamal was expected to arrive in the city on Tuesday.

Blood transfusion authority:

An amended draft of the Punjab Safe Blood Transfusion Act 2015 has been sent to the cabinet for approval, Khwaja Salman Rafique said at the meeting. He said once the enactment of the law would pave the way for the establishment of a Blood Transfusion Authority in the province. He said the authority would regulate blood banks.

Additional Chief Secretary Shumail Ahmed Khawaja, MPAs Mehmood Leghari and Dr Aalia Aftab, P&D (Medical) Member Dr Shubana and Punjab Institute of Blood Transfusion Director Dr Zafar Iqbal were also present at the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2015.