No camp due to Covid, Ghaziabad hospital faces blood stock crunch

GHAZIABAD: Faced with a shortage of supply, officials at the blood bank in MMG District Hospital have requested residents to donate blood to replenish the stock.
The blood bank, which is the largest in the district, has only 46 units left, officials have said. It has a capacity to stock 50 units.
With a spike in Covid numbers, blood donation camps have not been held for about two months now. Officials fear that if people do not donate blood, treatment of patients with thalassaemia, anaemia, cancer and renal problems, those who had accidents would be difficult.
Officials said, people can donate blood at the hospital any day between 10 am and 4 pm. They have also urged local organisations to organise blood donation camps.
“Not many people are coming to donate blood because of Covid. Moreover, due to the lockdown, many scheduled camps had to be cancelled. Now, it is an emergency situation,” the blood bank’s senior technical officer AK Tomar said.
Officials said that it is important to have a steady supply at the blood bank.
“Keeping additional units does not serve any purpose, as they become unusable over a period of time,” an official said, adding that usually, 400-450 units of blood are in the bank. Tomar said 15 thalassemia patients are in touch with the blood bank.
“Apart from this, blood is also needed for cancer patients, those who are on dialysis and those injured in accidents,” he added.