Commissioner and Secretary for Health and Family Welfare Donald P Wahlang said, a team of doctors from Ganesh Das Hospital had been entrusted with the task of conducting a study to know the reasons behind the prevalence of anemia patients.
''It was found that many women after delivery died due to lack of blood which is also one of the reasons for the increase in the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in the state,'' he said.
Expressing serious concern over the lack of blood donors, especially in rural areas, Mr Wahlang said, ''Blood donation has to be staggered to various places including rural areas and people should donate their blood for saving the lives of those who are in need of blood.'' Revealing that Meghalaya was facing acute shortage of blood at present, Mr Wahlang said the government was also planning to have blood storages in various Community Health Centres in the state apart from blood banks.
At present, the state has blood banks in Shillong, Tura and NEIGRIHMS Mawdiangdiang besides those at private hospitals.
Mr Wahlang said the state government was waiting for licence from the Central Government to upgrade the blood storage at Jowai into a blood bank.