Agartala, June 14 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday said that blood donation is one of the greatest gifts to humanity and stressed the need to create greater awareness about voluntary blood donation to encourage more people to participate in the noble cause.

Inaugurating a blood donation camp organised by the Health Department at Pragya Bhavan here to mark World Blood Donor Day, the Chief Minister said that increased public awareness and participation in voluntary blood donation programmes would help ensure the availability of adequate blood supplies for patients in need across the state.

Saha, who also holds the Health and Family Welfare portfolio, said that blood donation not only saves lives but also provides donors with an opportunity to become more aware of their own health condition through regular medical screening.

“Everyone should come forward with a positive attitude towards all forms of donation, including blood donation. At the same time, a proper balance must be be maintained between blood collection and blood utilisation. At present, there are 14 blood banks functioning across the state. Blood component separation centres have also been established in various hospitals to strengthen transfusion services,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that continuous improvements in the state’s healthcare infrastructure have significantly enhanced medical services and gradually reduced the number of patients being referred outside Tripura for treatment.

“Due to the steady development of health infrastructure in the state, referral cases are gradually declining. At present, kidney transplant procedures are being successfully conducted in Tripura. The government is also planning to introduce liver transplant facilities in the future,” said Saha, who is himself a dental surgeon.

He reiterated the state government’s commitment to further strengthening and modernising the healthcare delivery system to provide advanced medical services to people within the state itself.

Highlighting the progress made in the medical education sector, the Chief Minister said that alongside infrastructure development, opportunities for medical education have expanded considerably in recent years.

“Currently, the state has around 550 MBBS seats and nearly 200 postgraduate medical seats in three medical colleges. The government is continuously working to improve medical education and healthcare services in a comprehensive manner,” he added.

During the programme, 48 voluntary blood donors who had donated blood on different occasions were felicitated in recognition of their service to society.

The Chief Minister also honoured seven individuals who have donated blood three to four times and unveiled the cover of the Health Department’s quarterly magazine, ‘Swasthya Sangbad’.

Among those present at the event were Dr Biswajit Debbarma, Secretary of the Tripura Blood Transfusion Society; Dr Debashree Debbarma, Director of Health Services; and B.K. Roy, President of the Tripura State Branch of the Indian Red Cross Society.

–IANS

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