JHARSUGUDA: An anemic woman died as she could not be administered blood allegedly due to shortage in the blood bank of District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) at Jharsuguda on Tuesday. The deceased is Shoma Pandey, a resident of Bandhbahal area in Jharsuguda town.
Her husband Sunil Pandey had lost his job in a private firm in Bandhbahal seven months back and since then, the family has been living in acute poverty.
The 30-year-old woman, a mother of three, had given birth to her fourth child on March 11 and since then, her health condition had deteriorated. She was admitted to the DHH on Monday and her hemoglobin level had dropped to 2.6. When her condition worsened in the morning, the doctors asked her husband to get blood from DHH blood bank, 10 km away.
In the absence of any public transport, Sunil walked to the blood bank but was allegedly told that there was no stock of the blood group that he wanted. Sunil said as blood could not be administered, Shoma succumbed in the evening.After her death, Sunil handed over the four children to District Childline officials.
On the other hand, the blood bank officer Silabanti Jojo refuted Sunil’s claim that there was no blood in the blood bank. The officer further said she received no requisition from Sunil. She said although there was severe shortage in the blood bank a month bank, the shortage was met through voluntary blood donation recently. Meanwhile, the Childline coordinator Asish Panda said the infant would be given up for adoption and the remaining three children will be handed over to District Childcare Institution.