Touts make hay as blood banks run short of supplies

Warangal: It's time for the blood touts to call the shots. Thanks to the health crisis that is looming large over the city as blood banks run out of supplies. Blood is in chronic short supply in the country especially during the summers and the shortfall often escalates to 50 per cent.

Warangal is no exception as the summer phenomenon is back and wreaking havoc on healthcare as the State-run MGM Hospital and private blood banks are finding it difficult to meet the daily demand.

The widening gap between the supply and demand is not only forcing the relatives of patients run from pillar to post but also making them to cough up money exorbitantly. Apart from the ones at MGM hospital and Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), there are four other blood banks in the city.

With a rise in the number of surgeries and accidents cases in the city, all the blood banks have been facing acute short supply. As a result, the patients, who require blood transfusions frequently, like thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia, are also facing numerous problems with the inadequate blood supplies available in the city.

As a result, touts and private blood banks are making hay selling the units at exorbitant prices based on the urgency of the situation.

The MGM hospital sources say that it's difficult to find donors in summer.

Invariably, the supplies slow down as fewer number of donation camps are held in summer. With the students, who form a major chunk of donors, staying away from donation either due to examinations or summer holidays, the NGOs and other social fora rarely organise blood donation camps. This apart, it's also difficult to motivate the people to donate blood during the summers.

Speaking to The Hans India, MGM Hospital superintendent B Srinivas Rao said: "At an average, the hospital requires 50 units of blood every day.

While the demand is almost unchanged, the blood units we collect from the donors is dwindling, understandably due to the peaking of summer.

However, we are trying our level best to motivate the donors to come forward to save the lives of needy."

Even though the MGM blood bank authorities are trying to convince the family members of the patients to donate blood in lieu of units supplied to them, they are adamant, an employee said. Even though one per cent of the population comes forward to donate blood, it's more than sufficient, he added. The hospital sources say that around 4,500 people turned to MGM Hospital's blood bank this year to donate blood voluntarily.

The Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), which runs a blood bank, is also facing acute shortage of blood. The IRCS, which is providing a solace to around 250 thalassemia patients by providing blood transfusion free of cost, is also in search of donors desperately.