Pursuant to the directions of Punjab Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, Health Department Punjab, has started providing free of cost facility for screening of blood for Hepatitis B and C, HIV/AIDS and other diseases and this facility would continue for the benefit of the masses.
A spokesman of Health Department Punjab, said that the department has not issued new instructions regarding blood donation to the patients purchased from the market. Moreover, he said that the department encourages donation of blood by relatives of the patients or volunteer donors. He further said that the screening of a bottle of blood costs Rs 500 and the blood banks cannot afford this cost, which results in provision of sub-standard blood to the masses.
He said that the government has established blood banks in all the teaching hospitals and district & tehsil hospitals. He said that 107 blood banks of volunteer organisations, including Hilal-e-Ahmar and Fatmid are functional and these blood banks keep on updating the lists of volunteer blood donors, which can be called in any emergency. He said it is a common practice that the patients are donated fresh blood by their close relatives or volunteers.
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