Bandipora, Nov 20:WaseemYousufWani, in charge of the Blood Bank at District Hospital Bandipora in north Kashmir on Saturday was jubilant and charged as he assisted in collecting the blood from donors who flocked the station in numbers.
“The wait is over,” he said. “It’s for the first time in all these years that we are going to have a functional blood bank and the entire hospital staff is excited,” he said.
The blood bank, which awaited years to come into existence is now finally functional and would help a “large population” of this north Kashmir district that had no blood bank before.
“We will no more have a referral to Srinagar of patients seeking blood. The cumbersome journey and the frustration especially of expecting mothers is now over,” Medical Superintendent (MS), DrMushtaq said.
After donating the first pint of blood to the blood bank, an overwhelmed health worker, WaseemMohuiddin, 30, said, “The patients are going to heave a sigh of relief as many Lower Segment Caesarean Section patients required referral as most could not get donors.”
Another health worker, WaheedBhat said, “The blood bank will prove beneficial as even those patients requiring rare blood can also be made available as many donors are getting registered as regular donors.”
As per the officials, with the announcement to make the blood bank operational, around 20 donors had registered their names within a few days.
“They are going to be regular donors and around 30 donors donated blood on Saturday in the first blood donation camp within the district,” the inchargeWani said.
MS DrMushtaq said, “Many such camps will be organised so that there is no dearth of available blood for the patients.”
Senior surgeon DrIshfaq said, “The facility is going to improve the healthcare significantly as surgeries that previously needed referrals can be performed in the district now.”
He said that the blood bank would serve as an asset for malignancy and dialysis patients who need blood now and then.