- PIMS Blood Bank faces shortage of donors, family replacement system proving insufficient
- Safe Blood Transfusion project director urges people to donate blood and save lives
ISLAMABAD
SOHAIL RAMZAN
Pakistan Today has learnt that the Blood Bank of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) is facing a shortage of blood donors to cater to the needs of Thalassemia patients in the hospital.
More than 1,500 Thalassemia patients are currently registered with PIMS Blood Bank, which is run under Safe Blood Transfusion Project and due to a shortage of blood donors, most of the requirements of blood transfusion are met with family replacement system by which family of the needy patient is asked to donate three bags of blood.
Safe Blood Transfusion Project Director Dr Hasan Abbas Zaheer told Pakistan Today that each Thalassemia patient needed at least one or sometimes two blood bags per month and it was becoming increasingly difficult for his administration to fulfil the requirements.
Dr Zaheer feared that if there is an increase in the number of registered Thalassemia patients with blood supply remaining the same, the situation may prove fatal for many who cannot survive without regular blood transfusion. He underlined the need of blood donation by the society to meet the increasing demand of Thalassemia patients.
An awareness campaign to encourage people to donate blood has been carried out under the auspices of Safe Blood Transfusion Project. Seminars and blood donation camps have been held at Quaid-e-Azam University, Supreme Court of Pakistan and other educational Institutions to create awareness among the students and other members of the society to donate blood.
Dr Zaheer told this scribe that this campaign had brought some improvement in blood supply but still much was needed to be done. He also emphasised the need for more technical staff and modern equipments in the blood bank in order to provide safe blood transfusion to the patients.
When such a large number of patients of Thalassemia are admitted in one hospital alone and they cannot survive without regular supply of blood, it is high time for the civil society to come forward and make their contributions to save the lives of these patients.