The medical staff members at a relatively small hospital in Kankurgachhi are donating blood for patients who need it.

The initiative is aimed at giving relatives of patients some relief so they do not have to run around in search of blood amid the lockdown.

Around 30 employees of the hospital donated blood on Thursday.

“There is a severe crisis in all blood banks during the lockdown. The families of many patients are facing a lot of harassment to arrange for blood. We wanted to give them some relief,” said a senior official of JN Ray Hospital.

Sources in the hospital said there had been cases where patients had not got blood of the required group from the blood bank.

An official of the hospital said 30 medical staff members would donate blood every day.

All blood donation camps, which are usually organised by neighbourhood clubs, have been stopped during the lockdown to avoid gathering.