Malda (West Bengal): The second wave of Coronavirus has crippled the lives across West Bengal. The score of people facing the Covid or Post-covid complications is increasing day by day. The situation has gradually made many understand the importance of taking precautions and many are queuing up to take vaccines as a part of the precaution. In North Bengal, the rate of vaccination in both 18-44 years and 45years and above is quite satisfactory.
But, this awareness is posing another problem for one of the premier medical institutes in Malda district, the Malda Medical College and Hospital. With more people taking vaccines, the number of blood donors has steadily declined, resulting in a near dry situation in the central blood bank of the hospital.
With a dwindling number of blood donation camps, the hospital authorities are staring at an uncertain future about the large number of patients who need a regular blood transfusion as well as for those patients who need immediate surgeries.
“Being a premier medical institute, Malda Medical College always witnesses a constant pressure of patients. Not only from the Malda district but also from Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur districts as well as from neighbouring Bihar and as far as from Bangladesh. With the international borders close by, many patients from Bangladesh tend to get their treatment done here. And blood is the key to many of their treatments.
The situation today is such that we are urging the relatives of patients to scout for donors themselves and then get the treatment. Many donors are shying away saying they have either contracted Covid-19 and have undergone treatment or they have taken the vaccine dose. If any major incident happens where patients need blood on an emergency basis, we simply do not know what to do,” said a senior physician at the government-run medical facility on condition of anonymity.
Read: Assam will be fully vaccinated by December: CM
The Medical College authorities have recently held a meeting with the district administration on the issue of blood donation camps.
“We need around 80 units of blood on a daily basis, but the blood bank gets around four to five units. It is abysmally low. Some voluntary organisations tried to organise donation camps but did not get adequate numbers of donors due to the vaccination process as well as the spread of the virus in the second wave. There are around 900 children affected with Thalassemia and needing regular blood transfusion. We are unable to cater to them also. In the present situation, we have urged the district administration and even the Border Security Force higher-ups to organise blood donation camps. We have to find a way out, somehow,” said Dr Mojibul Haque, in charge of the blood bank in Malda Medical College and Hospital.
Read: Many arrested after attack on doctor in Assam
With authorities groping in the dark, the situation is precarious across the region. The only hope at sight could be the rapid decrease in the number of Covid-positive cases and immediate intervention of district and law and enforcement agencies in organising donation camps.
Read: Woman raped in Assam while returning home after Covid recovery
