An acute shortage of blood is being felt in Pokhara city as blood could not be collected during the Dashain holidays.
The Blood Transfusion Centre (BTC) at Ramghat, which is responsible for supplying blood in Pokhara and its adjoining areas, said the shortage is being felt as the BTC has not been able to collect blood for a long time now.
Lab assistant at the BTC, Mahendra KC, said the centre does not have a pint of blood currently. KC added that though previous Dashians also saw a shortage of blood, it was not as acute as this year. Around 10 to 20 units of blood are used for transfusion in the city daily. Relatives of patients in different hospitals are compelled to search for persons who could donate blood, another lab technician, Tika Ram Pokharel, said. Pokharel added that 80 units of blood of different blood group will be brought from Chitwan on Wednesday to meet the demand.
Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, said surgery of patients was affected due to the blood shortage. One patient's surgery that was to be done on Tuesday has been rescheduled for Wednesday because of the shortage, the hospital said.
However, the Western Regional Hospital said the blood shortage has not affected the treatment of patients there.
BTC Pokhara, which is run by the Nepal Red Cross Society, Kaski, in a statement on Tuesday, appealed to different organisations and individuals to organise blood donation programmes to overcome the shortage.
A four-day blood donation programme, beginning Wednesday, has been planned following the BTC's request.
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THT Online, Pokhara, October 11, 2006
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