Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jan 6: The Red Cross and other government and private hospital blood banks are facing an acute shortage of blood. Blood banks depend on organizations of blood donors, relatives of patients etc for their requirement of blood.

Normally blood donation camps are organized in the district on Sundays. The blood so collected is provided to any of the blood banks. But during the last week, no such camps were held because of Christmas, gram panchayat elections, New Year celebrations etc. Wenlock Blood Bank head, Dr Sharath Kumar, said that shortage of plasma and platelets will continue for four to five days more as blood donation camps were not held last week.

Private hospitals too have been facing a similar problem and these hospitals are trying to recoup their stocks by getting blood donated by the relatives of the patients. Red Cross has a stock of about 60 units but this is given to patients of Lady Goschen Hospital free of cost in emergency cases. Normally, Lady Goschen requires 20 to 30 units of blood from Red Cross on a daily basis. Red Cross Blood Bank coordinator, Praveen, said that in addition to platelet, there is a shortage of negative group blood.

In Udupi however, the scenario is different. The district hospital blood bank has a stock of 150 units of blood and it gives away 40 to 50 units of blood every day, said head of the blood bank, Dr Veena. Similar is the situation with government and private hospitals elsewhere in Udupi district.

Prabhakar Sharma, secretary, Red Cross, Dakshina Kannada, said that requests have been sent by the Red Cross to organize blood donation camps and there is hope that the stock will be replenished within a couple of days.