The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi grapples with blood shortage problem

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 12, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi grapples with blood shortage problem

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

Lack of co-ordination among blood banks, only three out of 41 are online with their stock status "There is sharp fall in blood donation camps during summers as schools and colleges are closed for vacations''

NEW DELHI: Despite having 41licensed blood banks and eight new regional blood transfusion centres, Delhi has still not found a solution to the perennial blood and blood components shortage it faces each summer.

Riddled with loopholes and lack of co-ordination among its blood banks, the Capital also has to tackle an illegal professional donors' market that flourishes due to the shortage, putting at risk thalassemia patients, emergency cases needing transfusion and those scheduled for surgery.

"Delhi requires 40,000 units of blood each month. With a sharp fall in blood donation camps and with schools and colleges closing for vacations during summers, the blood banks get reduced quantity of blood and its components. And it is this shortage that gives rise to various illegal activities, including sale of blood. Worse, in case of rare blood groups, the price of blood (put under processing charges) in private blood banks can go up to even Rs. 1,800 per unit as against the Government-prescribed rates of Rs. 500 per unit,'' said a health official talking about the shortage and associated problems that the city faces each summer.

Pointing to the fact that the blood banking system in Delhi has its own set of problems, the Chairman of the Nursing Homes and Medical Establishments Forum, Dr. Prem Aggarwal, noted that after the Supreme Court banned professional donations, the blood banks are dependent on voluntary blood donations and replacements for their stocks upkeep.

Professional donors

"The fact that almost all blood banks insist on replacement of donors gives birth to professional donors. This is where the middlemen come in and provide donors for Rs. 1,500 onwards. Also, the suggestion of the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) for all blood banks in Delhi to go online did not work and only three of the 41 banks went online with their blood stock status,'' said Dr. Aggarwal.

"The only way to improve the situation is to push up the voluntary donation rate in Delhi and provide manpower, technical support and increased financial aid to various Government collection centres, besides making blood collection a target-oriented programme.''

And with the Government not allowing private blood banks to organise blood donation camps, the situation goes from bad to worse, especially during summers. "The population that we rely on for donating blood - students in schools and colleges - go on leave during summer and there is no routine blood donation schemes that ensure that summer months are covered.

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