A sharp drop in the number of blood donation camps because of the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a crisis in availability of blood in Calcutta and the rest of Bengal, family members of patients, doctors and blood bank officials have said.

On Sunday, Metro found long queues in front of counters of several blood banks in the city. Most people in the queues were told by blood bank officials that there was no guarantee they would get blood even after waiting for hours.

Many of them said they were running from one blood bank to another for a few units of blood.

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic hit India, the number of blood donation camps has kept decreasing. As time passed, the situation worsened, said officials of multiple blood banks. Almost all banks are supplying blood only if those in need are able to bring donors, said family members of patients as well as blood bank officials.

Gairik Chakraborty, a resident of Patipukur, needed three units of blood for his mother, who was admitted to a hospital on Saturday. Chakraborty reached the Central Blood Bank in Maniktala on Sunday morning with two donors. He had hoped that he would get two units in return.

“The officials at the counter told me there was no guarantee that I would get blood even after I took along two donors. I did not wait any longer and went to another blood bank. They agreed to give me two units in return of the blood the donors would give,” he said.

Suman Pal, a thalassemia patient, was waiting outside a blood bank in Hazra. The 22-year-old, who needs one unit of blood three to four times a month, said he was having a donor accompany him every time he underwent transfusion over the past four months.

He said he had been collecting blood from the Hazra blood bank ever since he was six months old and all employees there knew him well. “Despite knowing me so well they are unable to give me blood if I fail to bring along a donor. Such is the crisis,” he said.

The shortage of blood is also being felt at hospitals. At Medica Superspecialty Hospital, the daily requirement of blood during the pre-Covid times was 10 to 15 units. The hospital’s blood bank would always store another 10 to 15 units to meet emergency requirements.

Over the past four months, the requirement has remained the same but the emergency stock has gone down to four or five units.

“We have only four or five units of blood at any given point in time after meeting the daily requirement of patients in our hospital. We are being able to maintain this minimum stock because some patients’ families are bringing donors. It has become difficult to procure blood from outside, too, because most blood banks in the city have gone dry,” said Biju Pillai, who is in charge of the blood bank at the hospital.

Pillai’s exasperation was echoed by officials of other blood banks, too. Anu Ganguly, one of the directors of Life Care, said the blood bank used to have a daily stock of about 500 units in the first half of August till last year.

“Usually, there is no shortage of blood around this time of the year. The stock would go up post-Independence Day because many blood donation camps would be organised that day. But this year the blood bank has about 10 to 15 units in stock in the first half of August,” Ganguly said.

“We are asking people to bring replacement donors… otherwise our stock would become zero. If someone needs blood from a group that the blood bank does not possess, we are asking the family to bring a donor of that group.”

While the demand for blood has remained steady, the supply has gone down manifold. Doctors said patients suffering from thalassemia, haemophilia, cell disorders or blood cancer routinely need blood transfusion. They are among the worst-hit.

Even Covid-19 patients who have other illnesses such as chronic kidney disease or are anaemic need a few units of blood at times. Ajoy Krishna Sarkar, a critical care expert who is treating Covid-19 patients, said: “Suppose there is a Covid-19 patient whose haemoglobin count is 6. Sometimes, they need a few units of blood.”

Social activists who organise blood donation camps, doctors as well blood bank officials attributed the crisis to the fact that no blood donation camp was being held in the city. Political parties, clubs and social welfare organisations used to take the lead in organising such camps. But most people are staying away from organising camps because of the pandemic.

“The few camps that have been held did not get the expected response. If the organisers thought there would be 50 donors, only 15 turned up. Besides, getting permission to organise camps is becoming difficult because the authorities fear people would violate the precautionary measures,” said D. Ashis, who organises blood donation camps every year.

10 injured

Ten people travelling in a Tata Ace were injured after the vehicle collided with a truck on Kidderpore Road, off the Maidan, early on Sunday. The injured were treated at SSKM Hospital. Drivers of both vehicles have been arrested.