PANAJI
The State government on Monday inaugurated a Blood Storage Centre at the Sub-District Hospital (SDH), Ponda, reducing patients’ dependence on Goa Medical College (GMC) and Hospicio for blood availability during surgeries and medical emergencies.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said the facility, set up at a cost of over Rs 1 crore, includes infrastructure, equipment and trained manpower to ensure timely access to blood for planned surgeries as well as emergency cases. The centre will also save patients’ families the need to travel to GMC or Hospicio only to arrange blood.
Describing it as an important step towards decentralising healthcare services, Rane said the initiative reflects the government’s aim of providing quality healthcare closer to people.
He added that the blood storage centre would be upgraded in phases into a full-fledged 24x7 Blood Bank. The government also plans to strengthen SDH Ponda with advanced medical facilities to reduce referrals to tertiary hospitals and improve healthcare services locally.
