Patients’ kin are often forced to run from pillar to post to arrange for donors to procure the life-saving blood from the blood banks. (Representational/ File)It has been found that in spite of the directive of the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) to stop replacement blood donation in 2017, the practice is still evident in all public and private-run hospitals across Maharashtra. This forces patients’ kin to run from pillar to post to arrange for donors to procure the life-saving blood from the blood banks.
Chanda Mishra, 44, a resident of Nalasopara, was admitted at the civic-run BYL Nair Hospital last week for liver cancer treatment. She developed internal bleeding and needed two units of blood. However, the hospital asked her family members to arrange for replacement blood donors.
“With no option in hand, my cousin from Kandivali donated one unit of blood. But we couldn’t arrange for another donor,” said Chanda Mishra’s son Yogesh Mishra. Later, to arrange the second unit of blood, they took the help of social media to contact donors.
This is not an isolated case. A quick stroll in any hospital’s blood bank would reveal how the patients’ kin make frantic calls to relatives and friends requesting them to donate blood. Often the blood banks like in the case of Yogesh refuse to provide the blood until they make arrangements for an alternative donor.
In 2017, the SBTC directed all hospitals to stop replacement blood donation and instead achieve 100 per cent voluntary blood collection for patients. The National Blood Policy formulated in 2002 stated that no hospital should depend on replacement donors. As per the policy, replacement blood donation should be gradually phased out in India.
Unaware of the policy, people like Yogesh fall prey to the harassment which further adds to their sufferings. However, doctors blame it on the shortage of blood. “We also feel bad asking patients to arrange for blood. But we have to rationalize the available blood units for more serious patients. We don’t deny any patients in an emergency if they don’t have replacement donors,” said a blood bank officer from King Edward Memorial (KEM), Parel.
However, taking note of the violation of the rules, the SBTC has decided to crack down on this long-standing practice. The council is also planning to impose fines on hospitals that seek replacement blood.
Talking to indianexpress.com, Dr Arun Thorat, assistant director of the SBTC, said they would gradually phase out replacement blood donation. “Earlier, around 10,000 blood camps were organised which has now increased to nearly 30,000 annually. In 2019, we held 29,366 camps. In fact, amid the Covid-19, we organised over 26,000. So, we have been able to arrange more voluntary blood donation,” he said. “Now, people are more aware and if they are asked for replacement blood, they can contact us,” he added.
Many a time, however, owing to shortages of blood, medical students or police officers are asked to donate blood.
The council also has plans to direct the hospitals to put up sign boards with similar instructions to sensitise the patients about the rules, said a source.