Patna: Health minister Mangal Pandey on Friday said efforts will be taken to make the state-run blood banks functional 24x7.

Manpower crunch is a major reason for government blood banks not functioning round-the-clock.

Minister Mangal, speaking at a programme organised by the Bihar State AIDS Control Society, said the government was taking measures to strengthen blood banks, including streamlining the collection and storage of the various components. The government will also take steps to fight black-marketing of blood units, he said.

The society had organised a standard operating procedure (SOP) training programme for government blood bank officials, including medical officer, lab technicians and counsellors at a city hotel. The health minister launched 18 registers of blood banks on the occasion.

Principal secretary, health, Sanjay Kumar, project co-ordinator of Bihar State AIDS Control Society Karuna Kumari, Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation's managing director Sanjay Kumar Singh were among the other dignitaries present at the session.

Joint director of information, education and communication wing of the society, Manoj Kumar Sinha said the SOP training would prove very useful for the officials concerned.

"Earlier, proper records were not maintained in the state-run blood banks. Had anyone asked for blood transfusion records in any state-run blood bank six months ago, the blood banks would not have been able to provide it. But with the SOP training, all such records will be maintained," he said.

"From data of blood units reaching the blood bank to the amount of blood consumed, all records will be kept at the blood banks, besides details of patients and their attendants and contact details. The blood bank officials were trained in these procedures on Friday."