July 14 Foundation Day of Odisha Voluntary Blood Donors’ & Motivators’ Assn

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July 14 Foundation Day of Odisha Voluntary Blood Donors’ & Motivators’ Assn

Wednesday, 14 July 2021 | DIllIP DASHSHARMA

The Odisha Government’s Health and Family Welfare Department issued an order on September 9, 2017 changing the nomenclature of 55 blood banks from Odisha Red Cross Blood Bank to Odisha Blood Bank. There was no reason for this change.

As against the observations of the department, the Red Cross Blood Banks were not functioning under Superintendents, CDMOs, SDMOs and MO I/c of CHCs; instead each of them had its own managing committee under the chairmanship of the respective Collector who is the chairman of Indian Red Cross Society district branch. The Red Cross Blood Banks were functioning under the supervision of a Managing Committee. In 1996, according to the directive of the Supreme Court, the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) was constituted. Also, the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) was formed in all States and Union Territories.

 The objectives behind the formation of NBTC and SBTCs are to promote voluntary blood donation, ensure safe blood transfusion, develop human resource programmes, etc.

Many types of blood banks are transfusing blood in our State, which include, the Red Cross Blood Banks, Government blood banks, private blood banks and corporate sector blood banks. But before removing the Red Cross name and emblem, it was essential to discuss with the Indian Red Cross Society, Odisha State Branch (IRCS, OSB), which was managing the Red Cross Blood Banks.

The IRCS, OSB should also have discussed about this in their Working Committee, Executive Committee, and also in the Annual General Body meetings.

After removing the name and logo of Red Cross from the Blood Banks, Red Cross members protested against this. On February 12, 2019, in a Press conference, they demanded that the order published on September 26, 2017 be cancelled soon. The members opposed the move to rename Odisha Red Cross Blood Bank as Odisha Blood Bank.

The Executive Committee meeting of the Indian Red Cross Society, Odisha State Branch, was held on February 13, 2019 in Raj Bhaban, Bhubaneswar.

The Governor of Odisha presided over the meeting as the president of Indian Red Cross Society, Odisha State Branch. The Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, present in the meeting clarified that in order to bring uniformity and parity in the management of blood banks throughout the State, the State Government had taken over the management of the blood banks which were now renamed as “Odisha Blood Bank.” After due deliberation, the Executive Committee unanimously agreed and suggested to reflect the name and symbol of Red Cross on the name of blood bank as “Odisha Red Cross Blood Bank” instead of just “Odisha Blood Bank” as Red Cross had substantially contributed towards the formation of these blood banks in the past.

It is unfortunate that till date, the name of the Odisha Blood Bank was not changed to Odisha Red Cross Blood Bank; instead the Commissioner cum Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, issued a Gazette Notification vide No- 672 dated April 2, 2019 specifying the taking over of the 55 blood banks in the name of “Odisha Blood Bank.”

The question now is whose order should finally prevail? The order of the Health Secretary or the resolution of the EC meeting of IRCS presided over by the Governor? In the EC meeting, besides the Governor, Ministers of Health, Higher Education, the Secretaries of Health, Higher Education, School and Mass Education, Finance, Panchayati Raj departments were present. So how could a order of the Health and Family Welfare Department ignore the decision of the IRCS? Though it was collectively decided that the name and logo of Red Cross shouldn’t be removed, but the Health Secretary released the Gazette Notification as, “By the Order of the Governor,” which is paradoxical as the order of the Governor at one place is against a collaborative decision taken under the chairmanship of the Governor.

(The writer is founder president, Odisha Voluntary Blood Donors’ and Motivators’ Association, Ph: 8984007600)

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