Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra on June 14 said Punjab has successfully surpassed the set target of blood donation and achieved 124 per cent of the set target.

On the occasion of ‘World Blood Donors Day’, he said that under the Punjab Blood Transfusion Council, a target has set to collect 1,80,000 units of blood in the state. In order to achieve the target, health department has commenced the campaign and successfully collected the 2,24,158 units under voluntary blood donation campaign with the close coordination of the NGOs, voluntary blood donors and other social organizations.

Mr Mohindra said that this year theme of World Blood Donors Day is ‘Give Blood-Share Life’. He said that under the leadership of Chief Minister, the ‘Tandarust Punjab Mission’ has been rolled out in the state and the health department has been doing every possible effort to make citizen life healthy and prosper.

He further said that blood donation camps have been organized across the state and the youth has been showing great zeal in it.
The Minister said that anyone can log on to Google play store and download e-raktkosh application to know the availability of blood, registration process, nearby blood bank and information of voluntary blood donors. He said that with the single unit of blood, precious life of a person can be saved.

He said that in Punjab, there are total 112 licensed blood banks, out of which 45 are working in government hospital, five in military hospitals and 62 blood bank are being operated in private hospitals. He said that blood is an essential element of the human body, without it human life cannot be possible and there is no substitute for the blood. It cannot be made in laboratory. In this backdrop, the Minister exhorted the citizen to come forward and donate blood to save human lives.

He said that during the various critical situations like; accident, delivery of a baby, the need of blood is direly felt. He said that the donated blood can be transfused immediately to such needed persons at the critical juncture and their lives can be saved. He said that any person of the age of 18 to 65 year having body weight or more can donate blood.

The Minister said that blood donation is the most pious social duty and every person should come forward to discharge it. He said that any person at a single time can donate 450 ml blood. There is no side effect of the blood donation and the donated blood is replenished in the human body within 24 hours to 7 days. Any person can donate blood after the gap of three months. He said that blood must be donated at the licensed blood banks or in voluntary blood donation camps.