Bajura, July 27

An anaemic patient, Gita Rokaya, 20, of Gaumul Rural Municipality, was admitted to the district hospital two days ago. Doctors searched high and low for the blood she needed but to no avail. Finally, they had no option but to save her by giving her a doctor’s blood. Dr Tikaram Rai, who was involved in her treatment, saved her life by donating his blood.

In another case, Sharada Kadara, 29, of Budhinanda Municipality, Pandusen, was admitted to hospital after she couldn’t deliver her baby at home. There was profuse bleeding during the operation and doctors could not save the baby. Sharada was badly in need of blood, but there was no donor. Senior Assistant Nursing Mid-wife Dhakala Khadka came to her rescue by donating blood.

Gita and Sharada are just two of the many cases in which doctors and health workers saved the lives of patients by donating blood. According to the district health office information officer Ramesh Kunwar, doctors had to donate blood to save 22 lives in the district in the past one year.

“Though there is an emergency blood transfusion centre at the district health office and Tate Health Post, absence of a blood bank is deeply felt, as there are times when we can’t get blood on demand,” said Dr Rai, who cited lack of awareness among the general public about donation of blood as the major reason for shortage of blood.

The lack of blood bank in the district has mainly hit pregnant women and accident victims.

Though the District Development Committee of Bajura had provided Rs 1.5 million to the District Red Cross Society through Parliamentarian Development Fund last year for setting up a blood bank, the facility has yet to be set up. Ram Bahadur Shahi of Bajura District Red Cross Society said the process was under way. “Blood bank will come into operation in a few months,” he claimed.