Rourkela: A racket indulging in sale of blood from the Orissa Red Cross Blood Bank at Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) has been making it difficult for patients and their attendants to arrange blood in cases of emergency, a report said.
The blood bank stands third in the state in terms of blood collection. At least 100 blood donation camps are held every year wherein over 5,000 blood packets are collected at the bank. It was learnt that here patients’ attendants are asked to arrange for donors to replace blood given to them from the blood bank. This raises questions on what happens to the blood collected during blood donation camps.
In case a patient fails to find a donor in exchange for a packet of blood, touts come into the picture. The brokers sell a packet of blood to a patient for something between Rs 1,500 and Rs 5,000, the report said. Whichever blood group is available is large quantity is sold for 1,500 while the scarce group is sold at a price as high as Rs 5,000. Most of the blood bank employees are involved in this racket, it was learnt.
Even donors face similar problems despite owning donation cards. In a glaring example, Susant Suta, a voluntary blood donor, had admitted his wife to the hospital for a surgery which required two packets of blood.
But, he too was denied blood from the blood bank. Later, a friend of him came to his rescue and donated blood in exchange of which he got a blood packet for his wife.
After the nightmarish experience, Susant has now decided not to donate blood at camps anymore.
He along with a group of friends has formed a club to provide blood directly to patients instead of donating it in camps. When contacted, blood bank in-charge Pandit Sahu said he was newly appointed. PNN
