Kolkata: An ‘automated blood analyser’ was inaugurated at Surendranath College on Friday, marking a step forward in its start-up initiative. Students of the department of physiology will conduct blood tests and provide primary health check-ups for the students, teachers, and staff of the college in the initial stage. In the future, the initiative will also include people from the local community, giving students hands-on experience linked to their course curriculum.Indranil Kar, the college principal, said this kind of initiative is unique for a state-aided college affiliated with the University of Calcutta. The college bought a machine equipped to conduct around 48 types of comprehensive blood investigations. It will also perform basic health screenings.“We are providing a health card to everyone at the college and will soon provide it to people in our locality as well. There is a set of questionnaires in the health card that will be analysed by the students assigned to this duty. The department has a plan for a research programme to be pursued based on the data received through this health screening,” Kar added. He added that a specific certificate programme in phlebotomy will also start in collaboration with a private research organisation. Faruk Ahamed, the head of the department of physiology, said, “This initiative will encourage our students to develop their own start-ups as well.”
