Rourkela: Blood stock at the Red Cross Blood Bank of the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) has plunged sharply to alarming levels, with just 10 units available as against a requirement of at least 40 units.
Attendants are reportedly facing a harrowing time arranging for blood for their relatives who are admitted to the hospital.
Information obtained on the quantity of blood stocked at RGH indicates authorities are extremely ill-equipped to deal with an emergency situation. Patients say it is baffling why authorities despite being aware of the miserable situation are not taking any efforts to improve the state of affairs.
“Blood bank authorities are demanding us to arrange for blood on our own. It is extremely harrowing especially in times of emergency,” said an attendant seeking anonymity.
However, it is alleged private nursing homes somehow manage to get blood from the blood bank.
Scores of patients suffering from sickle cell anaemia and thalassemia, and beneficiaries of schemes such as Janani Surakhya Yojana (JSY) and Janani Shishu Surakhya Karyakram (JSSK) depend on RGH blood bank. Besides, expectant mothers and accident victims also need blood on an urgent basis. This apart, patients from other parts of the district and neighbouring districts come to RGH for treatment. The attendants of the patients have been expressing their resentment over shortage of blood.
According to blood bank officials, they manage to collect 13,000 units of blood every year. These units are preserved after going through five types of tests. Often, many units of blood are found unsuitable and hence rejected, officials said. Apart from RGH, 26 private nursing homes avail the blood for their requirements. With such a poor stock of blood, the authorities would be rendered helpless if a sudden requirement of 50 units of blood arises in the city, locals said.
“The blood units can be preserved at the bank for only 36 days. After that the blood stock is thrown out. In such a scenario, we are bound to face problems in getting blood during times of need,” blood bank in-charge Dr Pandit said.
When asked about the means to address the issue, Dr Pandit said efforts are on to increase the stock of the blood bank. He also refuted charges of showing undue favour to private nursing homes in the matter.
He suggested collecting fewer amounts of blood everyday instead of jamming the blood bank by collecting a huge amount of blood at a time. PNN