City hospitals report acute shortage of blood with restrictions, vaccinations affecting donors

PUNE Given the Covid-19 surge, city hospitals are now facing an acute shortage of blood

PUNE Given the Covid-19 surge, city hospitals are now facing an acute shortage of blood.

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In addition to the restriction on movement, vaccination bars beneficiaries from donating blood for at least two months, which further slims the chances of people aged above 45 years from donating blood.

Blood banks are now running dry.

Dr Atul Kulkarni, director of Jankalyan Raktapedi, a blood bank in the city, said, “As of now we have 500 units of blood available with us which is enough for a week’s time, as we get demands for at least 80-90 units a day. We fear that in the coming days, we might have an acute shortage of blood, especially because of the existing lockdown and restrictions in place. All pre-planned blood donation camps have been postponed indefinitely, or cancelled. We get requests from thalassemic patients who need blood transfusion regularly, and also from emergency surgeries which cannot be delayed.”

A senior doctor from Sassoon hospital said, “We are facing an acute shortage of blood. We have 150 units of blood currently and we need 45 donors every alternate day to sustain the current demand; 30-45 units of plasma and 20-40 units of platelets. Blood donation camps which were organised for the weekends have been cancelled due to the lockdown. If any society comes forward they can contact us and we will send our volunteers to collect blood. We have our vans which could be set up in any free space and two people can donate blood at a time.”

Explaining the drop, the doctor said, “The surge in cases means more people are being infected who cannot donate blood right now. Also, the high number of people getting the vaccines is also a roadblock, because as per government guidelines a vaccinated person cannot donate blood for at least a month after the jab. So the eligibility criteria is further narrowed.”