Mumbai: Donors deterred by Covid-19 crisis, blood banks could run dry in days

MUMBAI: The city is staring at an acute shortage of blood in the next few days as stocks across blood banks are drying up. In fact, some have none at all, after their stocks expired this week. The fear of contracting Covid-19 has kept many donors away from hospitals, while many donation camps in red zones have been called off in the last minute by the police.
The government and activists are now roping in housing societies to organise smaller camps to shore up supply, which an activist said could only last 10 days. Activists are concerned not only about patients needing regular blood transfusion, but worry that requirement might go up with some elective surgeries postponed at the beginning of the lockdown likely to be scheduled again.
An official from the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) said they are facing hurdles, and are trying to reach out to housing societies, NSS units and even activating mobile vans for collection. "The problem is not unique to our city, it is now a global problem. We are appealing to mandals to hold micro-blood camps for a group of five to 10 people wherever possible by following social distancing norms. We are working with organisations and mandals to rope in as many housing societies as possible," said the official.
After appeals from chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and health minister Rajesh Tope, several camps were held in the last week of March and first week of April. The city, as opposed to the country, had enough supply for all of April. But with Covid-19 cases soaring, many regular donors are now shying away.
An official working at one of the government blood banks said they usually face a shortage every year in May and June due to vacations. "But with this pandemic, the situation is worse. We usually seek help from hospital and police staff. This time many are busy on Covid duty and some are worried about their own immunity. Hospitals having thalassaemia units are worst-hit," said the official.
Vinay Shetty, vice-president, Think Foundation, said blood stocks are running dangerously thin. "While the daily requirement is 900 units, it has come down to 400-450 during lockdown. If we consider this requirement, we have stocks enough to last only 9-10 days. The requirement may go up in the coming days as many surgeries that were put off earlier will be scheduled now. One cannot postpone these surgeries indefinitely. They can only be delayed by a month or two. Not just thalassaemia, cancer patients too are in need of blood supply," he said. May 8 incidentally marks World Thalassemia Day, and is coming in the middle of serious concerns for these patients, said Shetty.
The organisation is sharing a module with housing societies, and on receiving an affirmative response, they are coordinating with the nearest blood bank to help with the donation. Interested societies can connect with it at 098201 46448.