Acute blood shortage puts healthcare business in crisis in West Bengal

Ongoing two months long spell of school board exams and arrival of summer together have put entire West Bengal and majority of eastern Indian states under acute shortage of blood supply, spelling trouble for business operation at many healthcare institutes.

According to Dr. M. Das, in charge of North Bengal University Medical College Blood Bank, the situation has reached an unprecedented level where the blood banks are running far below mandatory storage level of 20 units per group.

“The situation is compelling us to refuse patients with high volume of blood requirement. But that is not possible,” said spokesman of a major private hospital.

“Not all can understand the actual problem. Many of the patient parties are holding us responsible. Naturally, the situation is ruining our business as well as reputation,” commented GM of another hospital.

“India’s annual demand is about 130 lakh bottles or units of blood. Against that, collection is 94 lakh units. Around the country, around 75% of this collection comes through voluntary donations. In West Bengal, forerunner in national blood donation movement, 85% of its around 10 lakh unit annual demand comes from donation camps. But, number of blood camps has gone down too low causing this acute shortage. Situation in Kolkata may go unmanageable by next one week.

Scenario in other parts of the state as well as northern India are also not good,” said Biswarup Biswas, Secretary, Federation of Indian Blood Donor’s Organizations and Governing Body Member of National Blood Transfusion Council.

“High atmospheric temperature due to approaching summer is a major problem in organizing blood camps. In addition, board exams have kept family persons of examinees off from social activities. For the very few camps being organized now, campaigning is a trouble under restriction of using public address system before these exams. All these together have pulled down the number of camps at rock bottom level,” he added.

According to the activists, in previous years, the CM in West Bengal issued special call to arrange blood donation camps during summer. “We request her and CMs of other states too to issue the same immediately,” added Biswas.