Ten months after minister’s announcement, Adimali taluk hospital still doesn’t have a blood bank

Adimali: The health minister’s promise that the blood bank allotted for the taluk hospital would begin functioning from last November remains unfulfilled. It’s been years since the equipment and other facilities for the blood bank are rusting in the casualty block. Minister Veena George declared that the blood bank would be fully functional by October or November when she visited the taluk hospital on September 23, 2024, for the inauguration of the dialysis unit. However, ten months later, no action has been taken to appoint a pathologist and other employees in the blood bank.

Charitable organisations and blood donation groups still arrange blood for the patients who require blood transfusions at this hospital. Meanwhile, blood donors have to spend

₹1000 at the private hospitals for cross-matching, as such facilities are not available here.

Blood bank turned into quarters

A blood bank was allowed at the taluk hospital three decades ago when VM Sudheeran was the health minister. The equipment for this too were allotted. The block panchayat had taken the initiative to build a blood bank building near the doctors’ quarters and the construction was inaugurated by the then labour minister Aryadan Muhammad.

Although the construction of the building was completed on time, the health department came up with silly excuses for not opening the blood bank here. The department then transferred some of the machinery to Alappuzha Medical College. The blood bank building has now been turned into employees’ quarters.