0891-2550500
lionsclubvsp@gmail.com
0891-2550500
lionsclubvsp@gmail.com
A NOTE ON LIONS CLUB OF VISAKHAPATNAM BLOOD BANK
Since long time Visakhapatnam Lions Club organized many blood donations camps using the services of blood banks in Visakhapatnam. Instead of using the services of other blood banks, the idea of why we should not have our own blood bank was mooted by some members. The idea gained strength and a proposal to start a trust for establishing a Lions Blood Bank by Visakhapatnam Lions Club was approved by the Club Board of Directors in the year 2004.
Lion Prof.N.V.N.Durgaprasad Rao and Lion G.N.Mangaraju took the initial lead in this direction and formed a separate trust in the name of Lions Club of Visakhapatnam Blood Bank Trust and prepared a project report. The trust members, who have contributed the initial fund formed into teams to raise the funds for this project. Most of the members of Visakhapatnam Lions Club and other philanthropic friends positively responded and donated liberally to this service activity. Fund raising programmes were conducted under the direction of Lion K. Seshagiri Rao . The trustees of Lions Blood Bank trust gave a good financial support and raised donations through all their sources. With this amount infra structural facilities for the blood bank were created as per the standard norms of the Drugs Department.
As per the licensing policy for the blood bank, all the equipment required for the blood bank is to be made ready before an application is submitted to the licensing Authority. Our funds were barely enough for the infrastructural works. For the necessary equipment, the requirement was Rupees 35 Lakhs. The trust board considered the issue and felt that it will be very difficult to raise donations to the tune of Rs.35 lakhs. Therefore it was decided to apply for LCIF Standard Grant for the blood Bank equipment.
Accordingly an application was submitted to LCIF in 2007 under the guidance of Lion Prof. N.V.N.Durgaprasad Rao as project coordinator. LCIF considered our application favorably and sanctioned Rs.35 Lakhs grant for the necessary blood bank equipment. Even though the grant was sanctioned in the year 2008, it took two and half year to receive the grant due to various administrative procedures of the Government. The LCIF grant was released on 23'd March 2010. This grant is utilized to purchase the necessary equipment.
After fulfilling all the requirements and after obtaining permission from the Andhra Pradesh State Blood Transfusion Council, an application for permission to run the blood bank is submitted to the State and Central Governments in January 2011.As a Managing Trustee, Lion Prof. N.V.N.Durgaprasad Rao had a very difficult time and faced many problems in processing the application for permission. By using all the
contacts at different levels, finally permission was obtained on 11th June 2012.
The Lions Blood Bank was inaugurated on 241h June 2012 by the then Member of Parliament, Visakhapatnam Smt D.Purandeswari in the presence of Lion dignitaries from the Club, District and Multiple.
Since then the blood bank is running well and catering the needs of the patients from different hospitals in Visakhapatnam and surrounding areas.
Initially permission was given for processing Whole blood only. In order to upgrade the Lion Blood Bank, to process the blood components Like RBC , Platelets , Plasma , Cryoprecipitates etc additional equipment costing about 70 lakhs was necessary. For this equipment, another grant application was submitted to LCIF in 2014 and a grant of Rs. 68 Lakhs was sanctioned basing on the performance of the blood bank. With this amount Blood component separation unit was established and permission was obtained from the state and central Governments in the year 2014.
During the Covid Pandemic , there was a demand for single donor plasma as one of the tool in the treatment of Corona Virus. Further there was a demand for single donor platlets for treatment of Dengue patients and cancer patients. In order the process these two components, an equipment costing Rs. 25 lakhs is to be procured. The Board of directors of the club and the blood bank trust took a daring decision to raise the amount through donations and successfully completed the task within a few months. The equipment was procured and received permission from the Drug Control Administration in the year 2021. Now Lions blood bank is full pledged blood bank supplying everything required for the patients.
Ever since 2012, the Lions Blood Bank is running well and every year there is a continuous increase in the collection and issue of blood and its components.
Lions community Hall, Waltair
Main road, Ramnagar, Visakhapatnam-3
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