SHILLONG: The month-long lockdown has started to tell on the blood banks in the city with stocks of the life-saving fluid running low and little immediate possibility of the required level of replenishment particularly in the absence of blood donation camps.
“Yes, the lockdown has indeed affected us. We have adequate stock for only a few days”, said Dr Charis Budnah, in-charge of the Regional Blood Bank of the Pasteur Institute.
Dr Alva Tariang of Dr H Gordon Roberts Hospital echoed her and a little more.
“The situation is acute”, she said. “After all, patients can’t be deprived of blood… we have had to even ask doctors to use blood sparingly to the extent possible”, she said.
A source privy to the state of affairs at the NEIGRIHMS blood bank said collections from a blood donation camp just before the lockdown kicked in have helped them so far.
“But not for very long”, the source said adding soon aggressive measures would have to be taken to replenish the fast-depleting stock.
Besides the three, the city has two other blood banks at the Military Hospital and Nazareth Hospital.
Defence sources said that stock at the Military Hospital was satisfactory. “We have sufficient stock. The lockdown has not affected up”, a source said.
While those manning the blood bank at Nazareth Hospital were not available, sources said that the situation was not good there either. The source at NEIGRIHMS, in fact, said Nazareth Hospital is taking blood from the premiere institute.
Both Budnah and Tariang and the source at NEIGRIHMS ) said they were being able to keep their heads above water only because of replacement blood, which is also not always enough; voluntary donors are few and far between.
“Only recently there was a shortage of blood of the `O’ group in the hospital, but donations by staff saved the day”, the NEIGRIHMS source said.
The Military Hospital, however, is better placed as they don’t have to depend on voluntary blood donation from outside. “All military stations keep a nominal roll of people with blood groups, who can donate if needed”, the defence source said. “We have enough donors”, he said adding the hospital also lends if required.
The blood banks at Pasteur Institute, Roberts Hospital and NEIGRIHMS have now started reaching out to blood donor organisations to ask people to come forward and donate blood.
According to the NEIGRIHMS source, there have been a few instances where families have not allowed prospective donors due to fear. “We need to take aggressive measures”, the source said adding if required help of the staff will be taken.
Budnah, who is also member-secretary of Meghalaya State Blood Transfusion Council (MSBTC), said the state government has allowed conducting blood donation camps as long as these are in conformity with the Health ministry’s advisory vis-à-vis the COVID-19 pandemic, like maintaining social distancing etc.
“But people may not be interested in the prevailing situation”, said Tariang.
According to Budnah, anyone wishing to donate blood can approach the blood banks with passes issued by the Council.
“We will soon make the appeal through various platforms to ask people to donate”, she said adding IEC (information, education and communication) would also be carried out. “The Meghalaya Aids Control Society will partner us in IEC”, she said.
“We really need voluntary donors”, said Tariang.
The ongoing nationwide lockdown is scheduled till May 3, but nothing can be said with any degree of certainty yet whether that would be the end.
In the meantime, the tipping point for the blood banks will keep getting closer and closer.
