Utkal Bipana Sahayata Samiti (UBSS), an RSS-backed voluntary organisation in Orissa, has expanded its service in health care of the poor and the downtrodden by opening a branch of Shushruta Swasthya Sahayata Kendra in Bhubaneswar. Health and Family Welfare Minister of Orissa, Bijay Shree Routray, while inaugurating the centre was visibly upset with the government machinery for its lack of human touch in serving the patients coming from the far-flung areas for treatment. Shri Routray reposed faith in organisations like UBSS and urged them to take care of patients in government medical centres throughout the state. Health Minister Routray said that there was acute shortage of blood to meet the rising demand and urged the UBSS to expand blood donation mobilisation in rural areas. The UBSS responded to the Minister'srequest favourably and the organisation announced to intensify its blood donation mobilisation to meet the requirement in leading medical centres of the state.
Manmohan Samal, Revenue, Food Supply and Consumer Welfare Minister, assured the UBSS of allotting government land to run aid centres for patients and for other related activities. Shri Gopal Prashad Mahapatra, RSS Sah-Prant Karyavah, linked spiritualism with service activities and said that commitment for society was the major motivating factor for RSS workers to work for those in need without caring for personal interests. Shri B. N. Mohanty, chief medical officer of a local municipal hospital and leading medicine specialist, urged the people to turn to Yoga as addition to medical treatment. Patient aid centre at Bhubaneswar is fourth in row after three centres in three government medical college and hospital campuses at Cuttack, Burla and Berhampur. Radhashyam Vaosinka, UBSS state vice president and Abhaya Kumar Pati, secretary, also spoke on the occasion. Explaining the patient aid centre concept, Shri Pati said the organisation through these centres was providing necessary services like blood, free medicine for poor and needy, accommodation for attendants of patients and other related assistance.
