Acute blood crisis in Dinajpur hospitals

Taking the advantage, professional donors are charging up to Tk 1500 for a bag of blood, which should normally sell at around Tk 400, sources at Sadar Hospital and Red Crescent Hospital said. Blood of professional donors are not always safe, they added.

"We always face the problem in the region during summer", said a sources at Dinajpur Medical College Hospital seeking anonymity.

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This year the situation has turned serious because of less blood collection by voluntary organisations earlier, he said.

Usually, members of political parties and voluntary organisations collected around 35 per cent of bood needed. But collection by them is far less this year, possibly due to political unrest, said other sources at the hospital.

On the other hand, campaign by local clubs, NGOs and government organisations for voluntary blood donation is virtually absent now.

The sources said that over 400 blood bags are needed every day in Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts, but around 30 per cent of it can be met now, leaving a huge shortage.

"Even common AB-positive blood is not easily available now, not to speak of blood of negative groups", one sources said. ''We are helpless. Many child patients who come for blood transfusions return disappointed. We can help only a few", said Said Akkas Ali, a technician at Dinajpur Sadar Hospital.

Seven year-old thalassemia patient Lokman Hakim was brought to the hospital from Birampur upazila. He needed O +tive blood, but his parents returned disappointed as they could not collect the blood despite desperate search for two days, he said.

Another thalassemia patient, 11 year-old Tonmoy from Baliadangi upazila in Thakurgaon, needs blood transfusion. His condition is deteriorating at the hospital as the hemoglobin rate is dropping alarmingly, his father said.

To face the situation, Dinajpur Red Crescent Hospital has kept its blood bank open round the clock for donation. But a nfew donors are coming, said its technician Aslamur Rahman.

He said on Tuesday that the Red Crescent Hospital hadastock of only 55 blood bags. At least 50 bags are needed daily, he said.

A doctor at Dinajpur Medical College Hospital said, ''We have started exchange of blood for patients. Relatives must donate blood to get blood.