Rajamahendravaram: Blood banks run dry as donations dip

Rajamahendravaram: The 40-day-long lockdown of Covid-19 posing a big problem to those patients who want blood in the district. Out of 16 government and private blood banks, many are not having sufficient blood stocks.

Up to April 30, as many as 306 units of blood is available in the blood banks in the district which is insufficient to cater to the needs of patients. Out of 16 blood banks, there are six government blood banks, eight private blood banks and two society blood banks.

Because of lockdown, there are no blood donation camps conducted in the district and blood donors are also not coming forward to donate blood and non-governmental organisations are also expressing their inability in this regard.

The government blood banks are available in government general hospital Kakinada, government headquarters hospital in Rajamahendravaram and in area hospitals at Tuni, Rampachodavaram, Razole, Amalapuram and Red Cross Society blood bank and Rotary blood bank in Kakinada.

Usually, in East Godavari district, many NGO organise blood donation camps on a massive scale and some political parties also used to organise blood donation camps relating to the birth jayanti and death anniversaries of their leaders. From last one month, all these activities were stalled due to lockdown.

At present blood bank of Indian Red Cross Society in Kakinada is having only 192 units of blood.

Indian Red Cross Society blood bank chairman Y D Rama Rao said they are mainly supplying blood to 142 Thalassemia patients freely along with transfusion. The lockdown affected donation of blood.

Andhra Pradesh Vydya Vidhana Parishad health services coordinator Dr T Ramesh Kishore said blood was supplied to delivery and other emergency cases only. Because of lockdown, the blood donation camps stopped and many blood banks are not having blood units in the district, he added.