Kathmandu, Oct 28: The Nepal Red Cross Society has appealed to the public to donate blood after the long Dashain holiday disrupted donation programmes and depleted stocks at blood banks.
The society said blood donation drives at the Central Blood Transfusion Service had largely stopped during the festive break, while hospitals continued to require blood for patients undergoing treatment. The resulting gap between supply and demand has made it difficult to meet patients’ needs.
Dr Prakash Yadav, chief of the society’s Central Blood Transfusion Service, said stocks of whole blood across all blood groups, packed red blood cells (PRBC) and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) had been depleted.
He urged healthy men and women aged 18 and above to donate blood, particularly those whose last donation was at least three months ago.
Nepal Red Cross Society President Dr Bishal Kumar Bhandari also called on voluntary donors and organisations to organise blood donation programmes. He said the closure of offices and educational institutions during the festival had reduced opportunities for organised donation drives, disrupting the regular supply of blood.
Blood cannot be stored indefinitely, and hospitals depend on a steady supply to treat patients who need transfusions. These include people undergoing surgery, accident victims and patients receiving treatment for conditions that require regular blood transfusions. Regular donations are therefore necessary to replenish stocks and ensure that blood remains available when emergencies arise.
The Nepal Red Cross Society provides blood transfusion services through centres and units at 120 locations across 73 districts, making it the country’s main provider of blood collection and distribution services.
People who wish to donate blood or arrange blood for patients can contact the Central Blood Transfusion Service at 01 5388485 or 01 5388486. They can also call the society’s toll free hotline at 1130.
The society has urged the public to download the NRCS BTS application from the Play Store for information about blood transfusion services.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Login to add a comment