Bakaiya Rural Municipality in Makwanpur district has decided to provide money to Hetauda Blood Bank so that its residents can get blood free of cost when needed.

“Given the shortage of blood many people face in the rural municipality, we have decided to provide money to the blood bank from where people can get blood,” Damodar Khanal, chairman of the rural municipality.

The decision was made after receiving complaints from several people about the shortage of blood in health facilities, said Sarala Bolakhe, vice chairperson of the rural municipality.

“Some people in the rural municipality lost their lives because of blood shortage or delay in blood transfusion. We want to avoid such deaths as much as possible,” Bolakhe said.

Among the eight rural municipalities of Makwanpur, Bakaiya Rural Municipality is the largest and one of the highly populated local units in the district. The population of the rural municipality stands at 39,620, most of whom are from impoverished backgrounds.

“This policy, which came into implementation this fiscal, will help many in the rural municipality,” said Bolakhe.

According to the Hetauda Blood Bank, this kind of policy has not been implemented in any other parts of the country.

This policy will be beneficial for patients who don’t have the resources to buy blood or to arrange for blood on short notice, said Tanka Prasad Dahal, chief at the blood bank.

The rural municipality has also introduced a policy to provide ambulance fare to pregnant women who reach birthing centres in the local unit for delivery.

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