Jharsuguda: The Jharsuguda district stares at an acute shortage as the blood bank here is soon going to run out of stock as donation camps are not being organised due to restrictions imposed in the district over coronavirus scare. Blood donation camps were to be held here at various parts of this town March 16, 22 and 31 respectively. But now they have been cancelled due to lockdown.
The fear of contracting the deadly COVID-19 virus is also keeping away the voluntary donors from visiting the blood banks. This has sparked concern among the district health authorities. They said that if blood donation camps are not organised soon then the situation might spill out of control.
“Only in case of emergency, three units each of ‘O’ positive, ‘A’ positive, ‘B’ positive and ‘AB’ positive blood have been kept,” a blood bank official said.
The distance between the main blood bank in this town and the district headquarters hospital (DHH) is about eight kilometres. Hence people who need blood for their ailing relatives are finding it extremely difficult to get it.
Raj Kishore Sahu a relative of a patient admitted at the DHH here said that he is facing police harassment everyday while coming to the hospital.
When contacted the in-charge of the blood bank here, Dr S Jojo said, blood donation camps have been cancelled at the last moment due to the lockdown. He also said that due to the imposition of social distancing, it is difficult to organise donation camps. When patients need blood, voluntary donors are being brought to get the supply.
The doctor also informed that the site for relocating the blood bank has already been identified near the DHH. He added the blood bank will be relocated soon.
PNN
