Punjab Government employees may now get paid leave for blood donation.

On lines with the Central Government, the State Government has also proposed to introduce a special provision for the government employees to avail a casual leave to donate blood.

Employees, who are willing to donate their blood, can avail the special casual leave for four times in a year. As of now, the service rules allow leave for whole blood donation and not apheresis donation.

A spokesperson said that it was felt that the rule should cover apheresis donation as well since it will have the added advantage of getting blood components like platelets, plasma, etc.

As per the proposal, a special casual leave may be granted for blood donation or for apheresis (blood components such as red cells, plasma, platelets etc) donation at licensed blood banks on a working day (for that day only) up to a maximum of four times in a year on submission of valid proof of donation.

The state Additional Chief Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Satish Chandra, in a letter, stated that considering the significance of voluntary blood donation, it is important to make provision to grant special casual leave to the Punjab Government employees for blood donation or blood components’ donation or aphaeresis' donation at the licensed blood bank on working days up to maximum four time in a year.

Employee seeking casual leave will have to submit valid proof of donation of blood, it added.

The provision by Punjab Government has been rolled out in reference to an office memorandum of the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions’ Department of Personnel and Training.

The measure has been taken to achieve the target of 100 percent voluntary blood donation.