VIJAYAWADA: The Government General Hospital (GGH) blood bank in Vijayawada has been upgraded with 15 advanced medical devices worth ₹75 lakh, donated by the Siddhartha Medical College Alumni Association (SMCAA). NTR district collector Dr G. Lakshmisha will inaugurate the refurbished facility at 8.30 am on Saturday, August 8, SMCAA coordinator Dr N. Ammanna said on Friday. The upgrade is expected to improve blood collection, testing, component separation and storage while ensuring faster supply of quality blood. Dr Ammanna said the alumni association had earlier undertaken several service initiatives, including Covid-19 relief measures and installation of oxygen plants in government hospitals. The donations included ₹30 lakh from Dr Arun Mitra Kandra, ₹20 lakh each from SMCAA North America and Dr N. Ammanna, ₹1 lakh each from Dr Samyuktha and Dr N. Rambabu, ₹50,000 each from Dr A. Durgabhavani and Dr J. Karun Kumar Raju, and ₹10,000 from Dr Uma Ramani.