The blood bank employees are holding agitation across the State for the last three days demanding fulfilment of their demands. This has caused great inconvinience to the patients in getting blood.
The agitation is a sponsored programme of the State Health Department to harass the patients, alleged Orissa Voluntary Blood Donors’ and Motivators’ Association founder president Dillip Dashsharma, who demanded that the agitation be stopped forthwith. The first blood bank was set up in the State in 1959; and till last year, 56 Red Cross blood banks were functioning in the State. These Red Cross blood banks were functioning under the district Red Cross Society Chairmen and the district Collectors by forming a committee under their chairmanship, he said.
Odisha had earned glory by having more numbers of blood banks in comparison to other States, for which it was awarded by the President of India. But the State Government with the help of an illegal notification arbitrarily removed the name of Red Cross from 55 blood banks and renamed them as Odisha Blood Bank. This has led to a notion that these are Government institutions. So, the blood bank employees’ stir for being recognised as Government employees is justified, said Dashsharma.