Ranchi, Sept 16 : The Jharkhand government is set to introduce an emergency blood delivery system aimed at ensuring that patients across the state receive blood within four hours of placing a request, officials said.
The initiative will be supported by a dedicated toll-free helpline and a centralised command centre in Ranchi, which will coordinate blood collection, storage and delivery to hospitals across Jharkhand.
The state Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Department signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with MS Science Company on Wednesday for implementation of the system. The network is expected to become fully operational within 90 days.
Health Minister Irfan Ansari said the initiative would establish a statewide mechanism for prompt blood delivery, with the target of supplying blood within four hours of a patient’s request.
Under the agreement, the private agency will be responsible for end-to-end operations, including blood collection, testing, storage, maintenance and transportation to recipient hospitals, in accordance with prescribed medical standards.
Additional Chief Secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh said blood would be collected from rural areas as well as through organised donation drives involving the NCC, NSS, police personnel and private organisations.
National Health Mission (NHM) Director Shashi Prakash Jha said the agency would organise blood donation camps and manage the required human resources, while the health department would provide technical support.
Payment to the service provider would be made on a per-unit basis, he said.
The state government said the initiative is intended to strengthen the availability and distribution of blood for patients in both government and private hospitals.
