Ranchi, Jan. 13: Patients and their family members had a harrowing time arranging for blood at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) today due to a visit by a team of Central Drug Standard Control Organisation that held up services at the blood bank.

Soon after the team entered the blood bank of the hospital on an inspection round at 10am, supply and collection of blood samples were stopped.

Harried family members of patients, who immediately needed blood, were seen running from pillar to post for making arrangement of the same.

Touts, professional donors and brokers of private blood banks made use of the opportunity to make a few extra bucks in return for blood. They were heard convincing the families to purchase blood from outside at a much higher rate. While some fell in the trap, others were rescued by nurses and other hospital employees.

Harishanker Dubey, a resident of Piska More, who had come to the hospital to donate blood to his mother undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit said he had to wait for four hours before he could finally donate his blood.

“I reached the hospital around 11am to take blood for my mother. As per rule, blood is provided to only those who bring a donor. Though I was sitting there, ready to donate my blood, there was no one to collect the blood,” Dubey complained.

Rupesh Tiwary, a resident of Ratu, echoed him. “There is no one to lend an ear to our problems. I am trying to get blood for my father. He has lost a lot of blood during the amputation of his left feet after a train accident at Argora. But there is no one to help me,” said a distressed Tiwary, standing outside the chamber of RIMS director N.A. Aggarwal.

Other sufferers included a resident of Itki, Punai Kumar, whose elder brother Satish Kumar was undergoing treatment in the neurosurgery ward at RIMS.

“I have been here since 12.30pm, trying to deposit my brother’s blood sample, but it has not been collected so far. When I tried to know the reason behind the delay, I was asked to wait till the inspection was over,” he said.

Leela Devi, who had come from the rural area of Gola in the Ramgarh district, said she was asked to cough up Rs 1,300 for a unit of blood when she explained her problem to a person standing outside the blood bank.

“I was wondering what to do when a nurse came to my rescue. She took me away and told me to have patience,” she added. Leela’s sister Pramila has been admitted for a throat operation.

Admitting that the inspection held up with normal services, R.K. Srivastava, who is in-charge of the blood bank, said the problem was sorted out with the co-operation of family members of patients and hospital staff.

“The inspection team had taken away some registers that were required to make entries of blood samples. This led to a problem. However, it was sorted out,” he added.