NBMCH blood bank dries up

Regional Blood Transfusion Centre at North Bengal Medical
College and Hospital. File picture

TT, Siliguri, Dec. 30: The Regional Blood Transfusion Centre at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital is facing an acute shortage of blood with only around 70 units of blood left in stock.

According to the officials at the centre, the shortage has been prevalent for the past fortnight because of the closure of schools and colleges for winter vacations.

"We are facing an acute shortage of blood for the past 15 days or so. There are only 70-odd units of blood left at the centre now. This is because all schools and colleges have been on winter break since mid-December and no blood donation camps are being conducted. We apprehend that the situation will remain same for the next few days because most of the schools and colleges will open only afterJanuary 1," said Mridumoy Das, the RBTC director, today.

The director said major source of blood to blood banks was donation camps organised by student organisations in schools and colleges.

"The blood stock is mostly replenished through donation camps organised by student organisations. But there was not a single camp in the past few days because of the vacation. Normally, at least five blood donation camps are held every week. No blood donation camps have been organised by NGOs and welfare associations either in the past 10 days," Das said.

The Regional Blood Transfusion Centre supplies blood and blood components to patients admitted to NBMCH and other hospitals and private nursing homes in and around Siliguri.

Das said the centre used to maintain a blood stock of around 600 units under normal circumstances and supplied 70 units to patients on a daily basis.

Currently, Das said, blood is provided to patients through the exchange donor system where the patients' relatives should bring donors who will replenish the units of blood supplied by the centre.