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Hosps report acute shortage of blood supply in Pune
Post Diwali, with IT firms and colleges not having resumed operations, blood donation campaigns have also come to a halt, resulting in an acute shortage of blood in Pune
PUNE Post Diwali, with IT firms and colleges not having resumed operations, blood donation campaigns have also come to a halt, resulting in an acute shortage of blood in the city.
As per doctors, the current stock in the city will last for only a day or two, as major non-Covid19 surgeries have resumed, which has increased the demand for blood.
Dr Purnima Rao, secretary, Indian Society of Blood banks and Immunohaematology, who also works as a consultant with a private hospital, said, “As of now we are facing an acute shortage of blood and the current stock with us would last for only two days or so. The inflow of blood donation volunteers has come to a standstill as IT companies and colleges are shut and people are working from home. Earlier, these were the major institutes who conducted blood donation campaigns and we do not have volunteers in large numbers who come out to donate blood.”
Dr Rao also adds that vaccinations would have impacted blood collection as the mandatory post-jab gap makes people ineligible to donate blood.
She said, “Although it is true that the mandatory 14-day gap after the first or second dose is necessary, there are very few in a city like Pune who would be ineligible due to this particular criteria. There are many who can donate blood, but are not coming forward.”
Dr Somnath Khedkar, head of the blood bank at Sassoon general hospital said, “We are facing an acute shortage of blood. Due to the festive season holidays, vaccination and offices being shut we are facing a crisis-like situation. While the demand for blood in the hospital has gone back to pre-Covid-19 times, the inflow has dropped. As of now we have only 60-70 units of blood and the demand is about 50 units of blood daily at our hospital, which is routine. This stock would suffice for only a day or two.”
As of Tuesday Pune district has about 4500 units of blood in the 38 blood banks in the district, as per the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC), which is sufficient to meet the needs of the district says Dr Arun Thorat, assistant director of SBTC for Maharashtra. He said, “As per the standard requirements, a district or city would require 1% of the number of blood units of its population in the entire year, so if Pune’s population is about 10 million then the district would need anywhere around 400-500 units of blood daily. The current stock should be sufficient for another 10 days I believe. However, blood donation and collection should be a year-round activity since the collected blood has a shelf life and the requirement can shoot up at any given point of time in case of a major surgery like organ donation or any bone marrow surgery, where the patient would need a continuous supply of blood.”
