Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Saturday said voluntary blood donation was a noble act and stressed the need to promote organ donation and transplantation facilities in Tripura.

Dr Saha was speaking at the 74th foundation day celebration of Unnayan Sangha club in Agartala. Mayor Dipak Majumder was also present at the programme, where a voluntary blood donation camp was organised to mark the occasion.

“Voluntary blood donation is a noble thing,” Dr Saha said, recalling that blood donation was not always voluntary. There was a time when people donated blood in exchange for money and such people were available at hospitals, he said.

Dr Saha also stressed the importance of organ donation and said people could donate their organs. The state government was keen to introduce different organ donation and transplantation facilities in Tripura, he said.

“Kidney transplant procedures have been successfully conducted here in our hospital. Now we are looking at introducing heart transplant, liver transplant and eye transplant procedures,” he said.

The chief minister said there had been a substantial change in the state’s healthcare system, with the number of patients being referred outside Tripura for complicated medical interventions falling considerably.

“There was a time when maximum patients used to be referred to other states, especially Kolkata and South Indian hospitals, for complicated medical interventions. But today the situation has changed substantially,” he said.

Dr Saha said around 80 per cent of referral cases from the state had been reduced as efforts were made to make more healthcare services available within Tripura. He also said the number of medical colleges had increased across the state and Tripura was gradually strengthening its healthcare services.

Speaking about the role of community clubs, Dr Saha said they could contribute to maintaining discipline in society and resolving disputes. However, he stressed that clubs should remain neutral while intervening in disputes.

He said people with strong links to clubs sometimes tried to influence decision-making when disputes arose and such undue influence should be avoided.

“I have been a member of a community club for a long time. So, I am telling all this from my personal experience,” Dr Saha said.

He recalled that community clubs had earlier sometimes fought over the expansion of their areas, with some disputes turning violent and creating an atmosphere of fear.

Dr Saha, however, said the club culture had changed considerably and there was now greater emphasis on serving society.