SRIKAKULAM: To meet the demand of blood units by patients in Srikakulam, district Red Cross Blood Bank officials brought about 90 units of unscreened blood from Kakinada. With the stock of blood units in Red Cross Blood Bank depleting, officials are organising blood donation camps across the district. So far, the Red Cross Blood Bank had held seven camps this month.
Except in two camps, they could not obtain 50 units of blood from each camp. They collected 15 units from a camp conducted on September 14, 19 units on September 13, 34 units on September 12 and 43 units on September 7.
On the call of District Collector J Nivas, RWS officials on Sunday donated 104 units of blood in Srikakulam. For the record, there were only 43 whole blood units and 23 packed RBCs in the Red Cross Blood Bank in Srikakulam. Only one unit of O negative group and three units of B negative group are available in the blood bank currently.
Neither AB negative nor O negative group of blood is available in the blood bank. Similarly, in the Government General Hospital blood bank, only two units of O negative are available. Neither A negative, B negative, AB negative groups are available in the GGH blood bank. On the whole 130 blood units are available in the GGH blood bank.
Speaking to TNIE, Indian Red Cross Blood Bank chairperson P Jagan Mohan Rao said they could issue 15 packets a day, while the daily demand is not less than 30 units.
“To meet the demand, we brought about 90 units of unscreened blood from Kakinada. About 30 per cent of blood units must be supplied to the hospitals for patients suffering from sickle cell anaemia, thalassemia and CKD. We could meet only 50 per cent of the demand currently.” He appealed to the people, particularly youth, to donate blood to save lives. Rao also urged people to create awareness among the public on blood donation.