Kathmandu, June 13

National Trauma Centre has become the first public hospital with its own blood bank. The centre started collecting and donating blood through its blood bank from May 15.

“It is the only public hospital with its own blood bank,” said Dr Bharat Bahadur Amatya, head of Department of Pathology, National Trauma Center.

Dr Amatya informed that the hospital had been collecting blood directly from blood donors. It also has been organising blood donation programmes and collecting blood from private institutions.

“Trauma Centre has collected 300 pint blood directly from donors and provided blood tranfusion services to 458 patients admitted to the centre till now,” he informed. He said most patients coming to the centre require blood immediately.

He also informed that the hospital had bought necessary equipment for establishing the blood bank.

Dr Amatya said Trauma Centre earlier had to seek blood from Lalitpur or Bhaktapur.

“Sometimes we couldn’t manage blood even during emergency and this has cost people’s lives,” he said, adding that the centre had also been supplying blood to Bir Hospital and Civil Hospital as per their need.

“The blood bank has helped us save many people’s lives,” said Dr Piyush Dahal, head of plastic surgery department at the centre.