CHENNAI: On March 20, 2020, Badhram Raju, a smalltime spice merchant from east Godavari, a coastal region in Andhra Pradesh, travelled 670-odd kilometres to Chennai, to treat his two-year-old daughter Shravanthi for leukaemia. “Pilla (baby) was unwell for several months. A local hospital diagnosed her with blood cancer. But due to lack of facilities, we were asked to go to Chennai for treatment. Right before the lockdown, we reached the city and admitted her in a private hospital. But to start treatment, and for regular transfusion, we required a few units of blood,” shares Raju. But with existing units of blood being used for other elective surgeries, the corona scare keeping donors at bay, and addressing the blood requirement for COVID-19 treatment becoming a priority, Raju had to run from pillar to post to make other arrangements for requisite units of O-ve blood.
“The doctors asked us to look for donors for further transfusions. But we had no contacts in the city and hit a roadblock after a few weeks. My wife and I were reeling under the stress — of finding donors, managing expenses and the prolonged stay in a new city. On April 29, she succumbed to infections and suddenly passed away. Though it was not entirely because of the lack of blood components and donors, it could have been a reason too. Doctors told us that many were hesitant to step out and donate blood because of the worry of contracting the virus. Though we understood the gravity of the situation, we were worried for other children like our pilla. So before we left the city (after interstate travel opened up), my wife and I donated blood in the same hospital. If our blood can help someone like our Shravanthi, her soul will be happy,” says Raju, his voice almost choking.
Dipping reserves
With the COVID-19 situation continuing to look grim and voluntary blood donations plummeting by at least 50 per cent, government and private hospitals in the city are staring at their dipping reserves, uncertain about how to meet any eventuality. “The screening mechanism and eligibility criteria for potential donors have become stringent. This has led to an increase in rejections (based on travel history, symptoms, those from containment zones and so on). With blood camps in colleges and corporates and those by NGOs— one of the primary sources of collection — getting suspended, we are noticing a huge gap in the demand and supply of blood units. The availability of blood in public-blood banks have come down by 60-70 per cent,” shares a doctor from a government hospital in the city, who wished to remain anonymous. Private hospitals in the city too, are facing a similar crisis.
Despite blood banks and hospitals following the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, for safe blood donation during the ongoing pandemic, the number of voluntary donations has been nothing but tepid. Dr Jyotsna Codaty, HOD, Transfusion Medicine, Fortis Malar Hospital details that despite other surgeries being rescheduled, hospitals and banks are still struggling to cope with the shortage. “Due to travel and other restrictions, people don’t want to step out and donate blood. They are afraid that they might get infected.
But we are trying our best to identify donors, provide them with travel passes so that they don’t face any difficulties in reaching the banks, and ensuring their safety too. From seating donors in the outer lounge, asking them to fill a comprehensive questionnaire — about their travel history and other mandatory details; using disposable tools, allocating beds according to social distancing protocols, and following sanitation and safety protocols, all precautions are being taken. Yet, the requirement for blood is high and the number of donors is fairly less,” she says.
Help in need
While a major chunk, including several regular donors, have decided to stay put to protect themselves and their kith and kin from getting affected by corona, some, like Vanathi say that it’s their “duty to save lives”. A resident of Sholinganallur, Vanathi, has been a regular blood donor for over a year now. “I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t scared to step out. I was. But on April 2, when I received a message for a blood requirement at the Adyar Cancer Institute, I decided to get over my fears. I am healthy and if my blood/platelets can help someone who needs it the most, I didn’t want to deny them of it. I took all the necessary precautions — wore a mask and gloves, carried a sanitiser, procured the necessary E-pass to get to the hospital, and donated blood. Since women can donate blood only once in three months, I will be donating again in a few weeks.
The hospitals have been taking necessary precautions, so I felt safe during the process,” assures the fitness instructor, adding that donating blood will not only benefit the recipient but the donors too. “It’s a known fact that donating blood rejuvenates the body and keeps several diseases at bay. So, I see it as a win-win,” she says. Poornima, another regular donor concurs. “Most private hospitals have their blood banks in a separate building, which gives donors ample space for social distancing from patients who might be battling any active disease or infections.
The banks are usually extremely sterile and now, with the pandemic, the precautions have only become more stringent. So there is no reason for those who are willing to donate blood or platelets to worry about the process,” says the donor, who has been donating platelets for over three years. Srivatsa Vema, founder of Platelet Club tells CE that the demand for blood and other components have spiked by atleast 60 per cent in the last three months. “The Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital requires anywhere from 150-200 units of blood per day. So imagine the number of donors we will require for just one hospital,” he says.
Community effort
The only way, to bridge the demand- supply gap, Srivatsa says, is to work as a community. “Families should forward requirement requests within their circle first; if you know of anyone in a corporate or MNC in need of blood units, share it in your WhatsApp group on social media platforms. With the requirement high and voluntary groups like ours running short of manpower, it is becoming difficult for us to coordinate. There is a lack of community effort. I have seen people not coming forward to donate blood for their kith and kin because of the scare. If you don’t why would a stranger step in? The change should start from within every household,” he shares.
Rohit Fernandes, who has been a donor since the late 90s says that volunteers have also been frantically trying to verify and streamline requests as several old threads have begun resurfacing on WhatsApp and social media platforms, causing chaos. “One doesn’t have to be a volunteer or donor to verify a request. I think people should be accountable when they forward a request. All it takes is one phone call,” he says, narrating an incident. “On receiving a ‘priority’ blood requirement request for an eight-month-old baby, I instinctively called the number to verify it.
The father answered the call, thanked me for getting in touch and then revealed that the baby had passed three weeks ago. I was shattered. I couldn’t but imagine the numerous calls the father would have received from anonymous people and the number of times he would have had to share the tragic news — all because of one unverified message. In such trying times, forwarding such messages will put the volunteers, recipients and their families in a lot of distress,” he says.
With bloodstock in hospitals including RGGGH, Government Hospital for Women and Children (Egmore), and Adayar Cancer Institute depleting without any adequate replacement, volunteers are using social media to further their appeal to those in the city to come forward to donate blood. “We are using every tool and every last resource to persuade people to donate blood. But fear and familial pressure have been getting the better of everyone. The ones who have been stepping out to donate blood regularly can only give in specific intervals. So, the virus has only compounded the blood crisis in the city,” says Manikandan of Chennai Red Knights, the blood donation wing of Chennai Trekking Club.
Drive to donate
Anyone above 18 years can donate blood (as long as certain physical and health criteria are fulfilled).
Blood cancer patients, thalassemia patients, pregnant women, road accident victims and people needing elective surgeries at government and private hospitals are most vulnerable due to the lack of blood donations in the city.
50-60 units per day is the demand the Platelet Club faces.