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Blood donation dips amid Covid lockdown in Himachal
Though the demand has fallen to 50 units of blood in a day due to bar on elective surgeries, Shimla’s hospitals have only 300 units left, triggering fear of shortage
Amid the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, hospitals in Himachal Pradesh are facing a shortage of blood.
Blood donation camps that were slated for the coming weeks have been deferred due to the lockdown and the suspension of public transport to contain the spread of coronavirus. Nine such camps were to be held in Shimla by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), students and welfare groups to meet the requirement of the three main hospitals, namely the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and Kamla Nehru Hospital.
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“As of now, there are 300 units of the blood available with us. It’s enough for a week as the demand has also dropped to 50 units a day with elective surgeries on hold. But we fear that in the coming days, there may be a shortage,” says Sandeep Malhotra, the head of transfusion medicine at IGMC.
Camps to be held in rural areas
With blood donation camps being cancelled in towns, the NGOs are trying to motivate youngsters from the rural areas to volunteer for the cause. “We are organising a camp at Sairi near Jutogh,” says Ajay Srivastva, the founder of Umang Foundation that collected 800 blood units despite the lockdown last year.
Sarabjeet Singh Bobby, the founder of Almighty Blessing, that runs free langars and ambulance services in Shimla, says: “We offer free pick-up and drop facility to people keen on donating blood.”
Gap post-vaccination down to 14 days
Besides the lockdown, the misconception related to abstaining from blood donation for 28 days post-vaccination is also being seen as a reason for reluctance among donors. Governor Bandaru Dattatreya had earlier notified that a person can’t donate blood till 28 days after vaccination but now he has reduced the period to 14 days.
Red Cross appeals to people to donate blood
Himachal Pradesh State Red Cross Hospital welfare section chairperson Dr Sadhna Thakur has appealed to people, particularly youngsters, going for the Covid vaccination to come forward for blood donation. “Blood donation before vaccination will help save many precious lives. During the pandemic, vaccination is proving to be effective. The vaccination of youngsters aged between 18 and 44 years will be rolled out soon and stocking blood before it would help in saving lives in future,” she said.
Interested blood donors can contact the state Red Cross on phone numbers 0177-2621868 and 2629969.
