Regional blood centres are being set up as are two more in Multan and Bahawalpur which are expected to be inaugurated soon. The announcement was from Advisor on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique who on Monday chaired a meeting of the committee set up by the chief minister.
He said, "Every centre will be attached with six public hospitals of that region to provide screened and healthy blood to patients. For this purpose, a comprehensive blood donors' data base will be prepared plus a blood line with the help of the Punjab Information Technology Board to help the needy."
It was revealed that PC-I of the centre in Faisalabad had already been approved whereas two others would be established in Lahore: one at the Jinnah Hospital and the other at some other place. Every year three centres would be built. He also said the centres in Multan and Bahawalpur would be run on the pattern of the Indus Blood Centre in Karachi and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had set up committees at each division consisting of elected public representatives.
"These committees will launch an awareness campaign about the importance of blood donation and the Blood Transfusion Authority is also being activated to regulate the public as well as private blood banks in the Punjab. In this connection an amended draft law of the Punjab Safe Blood Transfusion Act 2015 has been prepared and sent to the cabinet for its approval. This draft law will be then approved by the Provincial Assembly. Additional chief secretary," he added. He then talked about a visit by the expert of the Indus Hospital and Blood Bank in Karachi, Professor Saba Jamal, to Lahore on Tuesday and with her consultation final recommendations would be sent to the chief minister.