Post News Network
Cuttack, April 2: An inordinate delay by Sishu Bhawan authorities in making a blood storage centre operational has invited resentment from patients and their attendants.
In August 2014, the authorities had planned to come up with the blood storage centre. Accordingly,Rs 70,000 was allocated under National Health Mission for the purpose. Besides, a refrigerator, a super microscope machine and a centrifuge machine were also purchased.
However, the centre is yet to be made operational owing to reported manpower crunch.
Hospital sources said four technicians and four Group-D employees are required to operate the centre. However, the state government has done little to fill up these posts.
Sishu Bhawan superintendent Niranjan Mohanty said the government was urged to provide adequate manpower to run the centre.
The government, on the contrary, advised the hospital authorities to engage a few existing staff to run the blood storage centre. At a time when Sishu Bhawan is facing staff crunch, it is not possible for the hospital authorities to engage existing staff for the purpose, added Mohanty.
Patients’ attendants have to depend on SCB Medical College and Hospital for blood as Sishu Bhawan which takes hours owing to the rush at the blood bank counter, said a patient’s relative Biswajit Das. Sishu Bhawan administrative officer Abani Mohapatra said the state government has been apprised of the problem.
