KASKI, MAY 19

Pokhara is reeling under blood shortage, reportedly owing to the weeklong May 13 local level election.

A halt in blood donation programmes has added to the crisis, according to the Red Cross Society, Kaski. At present, various health institutions in Pokhara are short of fresh blood, it said.

In a bid to address the problem, an emergency blood donation programme was organised at Shahid Chowk by the Sirjana Development Centre in coordination with the regional blood transfusion centre under the Red Cross Society. 'Sixty-six units of blood was collected from the programme,' said Arjun Gyawali, chief of the centre. 'The programme was held to address the problem of blood shortage due to lack of such initiatives since May 9 due to the local polls,' he said. He also urged the authorities to organise such programmes to help combat the crisis. 'People were busy during the poll. So blood donation programmes were halted.'

'However, there has not been any acute blood shortage as blood is being donated from everywhere,' he said.

Pokhara, the capital of Gandaki Province, requires 70 to 80 units of blood on a daily basis, according to the centre. 'The demand of blood is increasing since the patients have been referred to the city from elsewhere,' said Gyawali.

A version of this article appears in the print on May 20, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.