Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 2: Roma Wani, Honorary General Secretary, Indian Red Cross Society, State Branch, R.C. Puri, Secretary Regional Red Cross Society, Jammu branch and Dr. Yogeshwar Gupta, Treasurer Indian Red Cross Society called on N.N. Vohra here at Raj Bhavan today. This was the first meeting of R C Puri and Dr. Yogeshwar Gupta with the Governor, after their recent appointments and assumption of duties.
Ms. Wani briefed the Governor about the initiatives being taken by the Society to mobilize funds for augmenting its activities and to remain prepared for supporting the administration in the State in the event of any emergency or disaster. The Governor was also informed about the training being given to Red Cross Volunteers to equip them with the necessary skills to render aid during any emergency situation.
Governor complimented Ms. Wani and her colleagues for the efforts underway to strengthen Red Cross activities in the State. He advised the Honorary Secretary General to urgently examine and finalize action for Blood Banks being set up at Srinagar and Jammu, to begin with, as this much needed facility is lacking in the State. The Governor also asked for Blood Donation Camps being organized on regular basis in all the districts.
The Governor directed that a large number of Jan Aushadhi Stores should be set up in the hospitals in the State and the existing ones should be significantly strengthened. He also desired that urgent action should be taken to ensure that an increasingly larger number of generic drugs are made available to the public through these Stores.
Reviewing the progress of construction of State Headquarter of the Society at Srinagar, the Governor asked the Honorary Secretary General to take urgent action to review the design and cost estimates of the proposed complex and, therefore, take action to call for offers from major business houses, banks and others to participate in the financing of the complex on the basis of assured space allotment, as it would not be possible for the State Government to allocate the estimated cost of Rs. 17 crore in the obtaining financial environment.
The Governor advised Honorary Secretary General to critically review the existing services rendered by the Society and examine the economics of mobile dispensaries providing services to poor people in the remote areas instead of the Red Cross running dispensaries in Srinagar and Jammu where medical facilities are already available.
The Governor also asked the IRCS functionaries to popularize the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana which is intended to benefit the poor and for the Red Cross to act as a bridge between people and agencies in extending this scheme to cover the needy sections of the society.
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