Youth should promote blood donation: Health minister

Bhubaneswar: The youth should come forward to donate blood and promote blood donation to bridge the demand-supply gap in the state, health minister and Indian Red Cross Society-Odisha State Branch (IRCS-OSB) chairman Pratap Jena said while inaugurating the state-level function on World Blood Donors Day at Red Cross Bhawan here on Wednesday.
Odisha State AIDS Control Society (OSACS) project director Dr Ajit Kumar Mishra addressed the function as guest of honour. He said blood donation is a symbol of love and people should donate blood to save precious life.
IRCS-OSB honorary secretary Dr Gyanabrata Mohanty said, “Blood is vital for sustenance. It is collected at camps, reserved in blood banks and used in hospitals. In each stage, transparency and quality should be maintained.”
On the occasion, as many as 57 voluntary blood donors were felicitated. Besides, a blood donation camp was organised and 43 units of blood collected during the day.
More than 150 voluntary blood donors, Red Cross members and volunteers took part in the function.