Siliguri, Oct. 26: Blood shortage has hit the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital with few donors being available during the Pujas.

“The blood bank here is facing immense crisis mainly because people are reluctant to donate blood during the Pujas. The problem occurs every year during Durga Puja and lasts till Kali Puja. Currently, we have a blood stock of just 81 units and this will last for only two days,” said Mridumoy Das, the director of the Regional Blood Transfusion Centre in the NBMCH.

Usually, the RBTC organises two to three blood donation camps every week and gets 20 to 30 units from each camp. “But because of the dearth of donors, we have not been able to hold camps and refill the stock in the past one week, leading to the shortage,” he added.

Yesterday, the RBTC organised a camp at Malbazar. The blood bank had 35 units till yesterday and 46 more units were added to it after the camp at Malbazar, Das said. “However, we can give only 30 units to those who come with requisitions today as the remaining 51 units are yet to be tested.”

Two months ago, the stock in the blood bank was nearly 400 units, he added.

At present, the RBTC officials are giving blood only to those who need them immediately. “Usually, thalassemia patients and those who need Cesarean section for delivery of babies, or surgical and accident cases come with requisitions. But now we are obliging only those who are suffering blood loss during in road accidents or childbirth. We have also requested the NGOs and other organisations to organise blood donation camps,” the director said.

Of the five blood banks in Siliguri, the one at the Siliguri District Hospital and the facility at the NBMCH are government-owned.

The pressure is high on the blood bank at the NBMCH as people from six districts and Sikkim depend on the sole referral hospital of the region for their requirements of blood.

Somnath Chatterjee, a state committee member of the West Bengal Voluntary Blood Donors’ Forum, said: “Poor people bear the brunt most because they cannot afford to get blood from the private blood banks.”

At government banks, blood is available by filling up a requisition form and paying Rs 65 for one unit and Rs 50 per unit for subsequent requisitions. A donor card holder is entitled to one unit of blood from any government facility in the country.

In private blood banks, a payment of Rs 500 has to be made along with blood donation in exchange for one unit of blood.