CHENNAI: Even a year after an announcement that Chennai, along with three other metro cities in the country would get a Metro Blood Bank (MBB), the Centre is yet to allocate funds required for establishing the facility.
For its part, the State is yet to finalise the location of the blood bank, among the few it had identified, as yet another World Blood Donors Day went by on Wednesday.
The central government had announced setting up of MBBs in Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. These were to act as centres of excellence in processing blood components.
The blood bank in Chennai was to cater to five southern States and three union territories: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Karnataka, and Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.
However, the Centre is yet to release `213 crore earmarked for the project, said official sources. The State government identified land to setup the facility at the King Institute, Guindy, and a few other locations, but the final decision is yet to be made.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters at a blood donation event in Chennai on Wednesday, State Health Minister C Vijaya Bhasker said the decision to set up the Metro Blood Bank here was a major milestone for Tamil Nadu’s healthcare system.
Over 500 people donated blood during the camp, organised by eight government blood banks in the State to mark the occasion.