Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, May 24: Dakshina Kannada district had faced acute blood shortage during the previous lockdown. However, this time, no such problem has arisen, even though lockdown has been enforced.

This may be attributed to the delay in vaccinating the people in the age group of 18 to 45 years. As per instructions, those who get vaccinated cannot donate blood for a minimum of six months. The young donors had been urged to donate blood before getting the vaccine. Some organizations had organized blood donation camps. As the process of vaccinating the youngsters has been postponed, the blood donors got additional time to donate blood again.

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Under the aegis of blood banks of various hospitals here apart from Red Cross blood bank and Wenlock blood bank, different organizations have been organizing blood donation camps. But the organizers admit that as against about a hundred units of blood collected in previous camps, only about 25 to 30 units are collected in the recent blood donation camps.

As on Friday last week, Wenlock Hospital had 279 units of blood. Wenlock Blood Bank head, Dr Sharat Kumar Rao, stated that no blood shortage had been encountered there. The situation is also satisfactory in Indian Red Cross district unit and Lady Goschen Hospital. In Ajjarkad Udupi district hospital, there is enough blood but because of increasing dengue cases, platelet shortage is encountered and the same is met by collecting blood form donors, said medical officer of the blood Bank at Udupi, Dr Veena.