Kendrapada: In Odisha's Kendrapada district, where life for many is already a daily struggle, a severe shortage of blood at local hospitals has turned hope into desperation for families with anemic children. More than ten young lives hang in the balance, needing regular blood transfusions that are often unavailable in their home district. For these families, the monthly journey to Cuttack’s SCB Medical College and Hospital is a costly and exhausting ordeal, yet the only way to keep their children alive.
Brahmananda Sethi, a daily wage worker living in the slums of this village, worries about the future of his children. His 9-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter are both diagnosed with anaemia, and need monthly blood transfusions to survive. Brahmananda recounts the harrowing situation his family faces, “It costs us around Rs 2000 every month just to go to Cuttack and cover the medical expenses. I don’t know for how long we can manage to bear the expenses.”
Brahmananda’s concerns are echoed by other families in the village. Another 12-year-old girl, and several others like her are in dire need of blood. But the lack of blood supply at Kendrapada District Headquarters Hospital means families have no choice but to travel to Cuttack. Baidhar Sethi, father of the girl, worries about his daughter’s worsening health, stating that each trip to the Cuttack blood bank drains the family’s measly savings.
Limited Resources and Growing Needs
Parents report that when they initially sought treatment at the district headquarters hospital, the blood provided wasn’t sufficient, and in some cases, it worsened their children’s conditions. The blood shortage, coupled with inconsistent quality, led many families to seek care at Cuttack’s central blood bank, where they were told that their children needed a Packed Red Blood Cells (PRBC) blood.
As their children grow, the blood requirement has surged from an initial 50-100 milliliters to nearly 700 milliliters per month. However, families are often only able to secure 100 milliliters from Cuttack’s facilities, leaving them desperate to cover the deficit.