Kathmandu: Patients and their kin have been facing difficulty finding blood in the capital due to the nationwide lockdown imposed in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, leading to delay in surgeries.

“It took me 12 hours to arrange three pints of B-positive for my relative, who had to undergo intestine surgery,” said Hari Prasad Sapkota, a resident of Manamaiju.

Blood is necessary for cancer and kidney patients who are undergoing dialysis, those who need to undergo emergency surgery, expecting mothers and those in need of cardiac surgery. Blood is also necessary for patients suffering from anaemia, leukemia, thalassemia and several other diseases.

It took one day for Santosh Dhungana, a resident of Baniyatar, to arrange blood for his wife, who was in labour pain. “The doctor had asked us to arrange four pints of A-positive blood. But I was able to arrange only three pints,” said Dhungana.

Despite complaints of blood shortage, Dibya Raj Poudel, head of communication at Nepal Red Cross Society, says demand for the blood has decreased.

“Earlier about 400 pints were need in the capital on a daily basis, but after the lockdown only 40 pints are needed daily. The daily supply is about 60 pints. At times there is a shortage of blood of negative blood groups,” Poudel told THT.

Contrary to what Poudel said, patients are facing difficulty finding both negative, as well as positive, blood groups.

Suraj KC of Sitapaila had difficulty arranging B-positive blood group for a relative admitted to hospital for delivery.

People also find it difficult when they require a particular component of blood — plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets.

Samjhana Timilsina, a resident of Sitapaila, was faced with such a problem. “My husband had to undergo an emergency surgery of appendicitis a few days ago. The doctor asked us to arrange white blood cells. I failed to arrange. Later, doctors themselves contacted a few persons and arranged it. This, however, delayed the surgery by about one-and-a-half hours,” said Timilsina.

Since the lockdown, few blood donation camps have been organised, resulting in shortage of blood. To help patients, a door-to-door campaign was launched by Blood Donors Association on March 28.

“We have been contacting donors and requesting them for donation. When there are at least three donors, we take our van to the locality. Donors have to come inside the van to donate blood,” said Devendra Maharjan, president of Blood Donors Association, southwest area.

As many as 64 people have donated blood since the campaign was launched. “As the collection has been little, we have not been able to meet the demand. At least three persons call us for blood daily,” said Maharjan.

“We have been in touch with our regular blood donors.

We are calling them and requesting them to help us in the crisis,” said Maharjan.

https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/lockdown-leads-to-blood-shortage-in-capital-delaying-surgeries/