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Journalism of Courage
SURAT, Oct 14: Surat Raktadan Kendra, one of the biggest blood banks in the country, is facing an acute shortage of blood, with its reserves having fallen to 70 units from 400 units.
Confirming the acute shortage, the Kendra’s Medical director Snehlata Gupte said, “We had to call our voluntary donors when the stock depleted. We still do not have stock of certain blood groups”.
On an average, the Kendra gets 25 percent of its stock from voluntary donors and 50 per cent through replacement. Every Sunday, voluntary organisations organise four blood camps for the Kendra. The camps are still being organised, but the number of units collected have fallen.
“Earlier, about 300 units were collected every Sunday. But last Sunday, only 100 units were collected”, a Kendra official disclosed.
As an emergency measure, the Kendra has started three mobile vans which are moving around Navratri venues to collect blood from voluntary donors. “In the last two days we have collected 95 units”, an official told Express Newsline.
Gupte said the AB’ blood group stock fell after a patient was given 32 units recently. This being a rare group is difficult to replace.
The demand for blood had also risen following the Limbayat firing, said Gupte.
The Kendra is managing by exchanging blood with other banks. “We ensure that the patient is not deprived”, she said.
Set up in 1978, this Kendra was ranked among the top nine blood banks in the country by National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) and was selected for their scheme of modernisation and expansion of blood bank service. It is the leading blood bank in the state with its annual collections of 22,000 units.
