The Purnea district branch of Indian Red Cross Society has sought permission from the state unit in Patna to give blood to patients against money if they are without donors.

A member in the management committee of Purnea’s Indian Red Cross Society branch, Vijay Kumar Shrivastava, said: “The state branch has the facility of providing blood units to patients with no donors at a charge of Rs 1,000. Such a facility must be in place at Purnea too.”

He added: “Patients from neighbouring districts, including Kishanganj, Araria, Katihar, Madhepura, Supaul and Saharsa apart from Nepal and Bengal, consider Purnea a medical hub. They have to go from pillar to post in quest of blood units but find themselves in miserable condition.”

The Patna unit of the society provides emergency patients in need of blood, without donors, units at Rs 1,000 each.

The same is not allowed in the districts, including Purnea, though.

Patients can only get blood in exchange through their blood donors and on payment of Rs 300.

The director of the state branch in Patna, S.P. Singh, said: “We make blood available to patients who need it the most but do not have a donor, after charging Rs 1,000. The amount is a means to discourage people to buy blood and encourage donors. In cases of financially backward people or emergency patients who are victims of any disaster we provide blood for free.”

On the discrepancy, he said: “I have no information if such an arrangement is not in place at the district branches. It should be. I’ll enquire about it and inform the district magistrate concerned to take necessary action.”

The Purnea branch is the largest blood bank of the society in the state after Patna with a capacity of 1,000 units.