New blood delivery service in Maharashtra

India’s first “blood delivery on call” service — Jeevan Amrut Seva — was launched across Maharashtra by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan at a function held at Sir J J Hospital on Tuesday.

The service, accessible by dialling the number “104”, will see blood delivered on motorcycles equipped with cold-storage facility to maintain the optimum temperature.  Earlier, the project was successfully implemented on a pilot basis in Satara and Sindhudurg, said Maharashtra State Blood Transfusion Council's Assistant Director Dr Sanjay Jadhav.

State Health Minister Suresh Shetty said while the service's call centre would be based in Pune at present, “the next four months will see the opening of  centres in 10 major cities.