Bajura, September 7

A blood transfusion centre established by Nepal Red Cross Society in Martadi, Bajura, some four months ago has yet to come into operation as stakeholders complain that the delay has affected health services across the district.

Earlier, NRCS, Bajura had built the centre at a cost of Rs 15 lakh from the Parliament Development Fund.

Chief of District Health Office, Bajura, Dr Rup Chandra Bishwokarma said the district was facing acute shortage of blood and that it had been impossible to perform surgeries on patients due to lack of blood in health facilities in the district.

NRSC district working committee member Dipak Shah said they had been unable to bring the blood centre into operation due to lack of manpower. He also added that the centre could not start its services as certain appliances such as refrigerators had gone dysfunctional.

CDO Luk Bahadur Chhetry said blood donation programmes had also been affected as there was no facility to store blood.

Civil society member Laxmi Raj Padhya said the relatives of patients were compelled to search for blood from one place to another due to the lack of blood bank and that patients had to be taken out of the district for treatment,” he added.