400 units of blood collected under ‘Operation Zindagi’

Patna: Over 400 units of blood have been collected since the Patna district administration launched ‘Operation Zindagi’ on July 29, making it mandatory for all the state government employees to donate blood. The initiative is important in the light of recent findings by Union ministry of health and family welfare that Bihar has only 16% of the required blood in store.
On Tuesday, members of panchayati raj institutions also donated blood at Gardanibagh hospital. According to the ‘Operation Zindagi’ programme, the blood collected from donation camps will be made available only to the trauma patients. No blood unit replacement will be required for such patients.
Patna district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Agarwal told TOI over phone, “When the trauma patients get admitted to the hospitals, they are not accompanied by their acquaintances or family members. The hospital authorities refuse to give them blood as there is hardly anybody to give replacement units. Moreover, hospitals in Patna face severe pressure for blood units as many of the accident victims are referred to Patna from other districts for better treatment. So, the idea to collect blood for trauma patients came to my mind as there is an urgent need to create a blood bank for trauma victims.”
The DM said, “On Tuesday, we collected two units of O negative blood, which is a rare blood group.” These blood units are being preserved at PMCH, NMCH, Jayaprabha and other hospitals.
The donors under ‘Operation Zindagi’ will get a certificate of appreciation as well as a donor’s card. The certificate and card ensure the donor’s right to one unit of blood in case of his/her requirement in future.
The administration is soon to launch a campaign at Gandhi Maidan and Eco Park to encourage citizens for blood donation. From September onwards, any citizen, especially college students, will be allowed to donate blood under ‘Operation Zindagi’ programme. The administration is also planning to appeal to the civic body representatives to participate in the blood donation camps. Two camps will be organized every week at each of the seven subdivisions of Patna district. The DM’s target is to collect 4,000 to 5,000 units of blood every year.