Chandigarh, Dec 31 (IANS): Blood will be provided free of cost in government hospitals across Punjab from Tuesday (Jan 1), a Minister said on Monday.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra said that as part of the government's mission 'Tandarust Punjab', all the government hospitals across the state will provide blood and blood components free of cost to patients.

"Not only shall be blood provided free of cost, it will also be ensured that the blood is available round the clock in all the hospitals," the Minister said in a statement here.

Mohindra said that this move would benefit thousands of patients across Punjab as they earlier had to pay processing charges of Rs 300 per unit of blood in civil hospitals and Rs 500 per unit in government medical colleges.

"From now, blood and blood components like packed RBC, fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate, platelets rich plasma and platelet concentrate will be given free of cost to all the patients," he said.

The blood, he pointed out, is the first important requirement in case of the road accidents or the patients who are undergoing surgeries.

Mohindra said that there are a total 116 blood banks in Punjab, out of which 46 are being operated by government, six by the Army and 64 others being run by private entities.

The Minister said that in the last few years, 2.26 lakh units of blood were collected by government blood banks. He added that to streamline health services, the Punjab government has launched a web portal 'E-Raktkosh' to facilitate availability of blood.

This web facility would be a guiding source for all the needy persons to check the availability of particular blood group and blood components and its quantity in a particular blood bank, he added.