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Platelet shortage at Pune hospitals amid surge in dengue cases
As per the doctors, platelet transfusion is regularly required by patients suffering from dengue, leukaemia, patients on chemotherapy and patients suffering from blood disorders amongst others. The recent surge in dengue has increased consumption of platelets and the demand has increased
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The city is witnessing an acute shortage of blood platelets as it battles a surge in dengue cases. Almost all major hospitals and blood banks in the city have exhausted the stock of blood platelets and are reporting a shortage, said doctors.
In Pune city hospitals like-- Sassoon Hospital, KEM Hospital, Sahyadri Hospitals, Jehangir Hospital, Ruby Hall Clinic, Noble Hospital, Poona Hospital, Bharati Hospital, and Navale Hospital have reported acute shortage of platelets.
Even blood banks like PSI Blood Bank, ISI Blood Bank, Aadhar Blood Bank, and Pune Blood Bank, amongst others have reported a shortage of crucial blood components.
As per the doctors, platelet transfusion is regularly required by patients suffering from dengue, leukaemia, patients on chemotherapy and patients suffering from blood disorders amongst others. The recent surge in dengue has increased the consumption of platelets and the demand has increased.
According to data released by the health department of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the city has reported 2,598 suspected dengue cases and 193 confirmed dengue cases this year till October 28. However, private hospitals claim the number of dengue cases is much higher than recorded by the civic body.
Ram Bangad, founder of NGO Raktache Nate, informed there is an acute shortage of platelets in the city and had to contact twenty facilities to source platelets for a dengue patient.
“The surge in the number of severe dengue cases in the city is the prime reason behind the shortage of platelets. Given the festival season of Diwali, the donors are not coming forward to donate blood. The government should take steps to boost blood donation,” he said.
Pune district has four government blood banks and 42 private blood banks. The majority of the blood banks are facing acute shortage of platelets. A normal person has a platelet count ranging between 2,00,00 and 4,50,000 per microlitre of blood. About 80-90% of patients with dengue will have levels below 1,00,000 and around 10-20% of the patients report low levels of 20,000 or less. Such dengue patients who develop complications such as bleeding require platelet transfusions.
Dr HK Sale, chairman of the Association of Hospitals in Pune (AHP) and executive director of Noble Hospital, said at Noble Hospital they have only three bags of platelets which have been kept reserved for emergencies.
“Currently, we have 16 dengue patients admitted at the hospital out of which five patients are admitted in the Intensive Care Unit,” he said.
Dr Sale, further informed in the past one month the number of dengue cases has significantly increased leading to a surge in demand for platelets.
“In one month we have treated 163 severe dengue patients. Out of which 43 dengue patients were provided platelet transfusion. During the same time period we had provided platelets to 58 dengue patients admitted in other hospitals,” he said.
Sunil Kamble, a resident of Pune on Sunday had to struggle and contacted at least 15 hospitals and blood banks to get platelets for his brother-in-law (Vijay Prabhale) who is admitted at Sahyadri Hospital, Ahmednagar Road.
“My brother-in-law has tested positive for dengue and is undergoing treatment at Sahyadri Hospital. After several hours of struggle, we fortunately got four bags of platelets from Vishwaraj Hospital, Loni. There is a huge shortage of platelets in the city,” he said.
