Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion was first performed in Sri Lanka in late 1950. It became more widely known to the public in 1959 after the assassination of Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, when an appeal was made to the public to donate blood. The country's blood bank system has since expanded from a single initial site to multiple blood donation centres and laboratories nationwide, operating under the auspices of the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS). As of 2014, the NBTS collects over 350,000 voluntary blood donations every year.