Blood bank shut, Abohar residents on warpath

Our Correspondent

Abohar, August 27

As patients continued facing trouble due to the closure of the blood bank in Civil Hospital for the past five days, members of NGO Udham, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, Balaji Manav Sewa Samiti and farmers yesterday staged a dharna outside the hospital and shouted slogans against the Health Department.

The protesters condemned the department for not appointing a Blood Transfusion Officer (BTO) after Dr Sonima was transferred from Abohar to Fazilka, which led to the closure of the blood bank. The district authorities had assured that some alternate arrangement would be made but the patients and their attendants were being told to travel to Fazilka (32-km away) to arrange blood, including for severe instances like caesarean cases, they said.

ASHA workers said, “Pregnant women need blood at the time of delivery, but they have to wander hopelessly due to the closure of the blood bank.”

The district authorities had assured that pathologist Dr Dikshi Babbar, who was on maternity leave, was expected to join her duty after three weeks and would make the blood bank functional. The protesters termed the explanation given by the authorities as funny and irrational.

Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr Suresh Kamboj made it clear that in the absence of the BTO, no transaction for blood could be made and senior officers had been apprised of the situation.

Some activists of blood donors’ associations met Balluana MLA Amandeep Singh Goldy Musafir to explain the issues being faced by the patients. Goldy spoke to the higher authorities at Chandigarh and urged them to resolve the issue, but no word on filling the vacancy of BTO has so far been received from the state headquarters.

While handing over a memorandum to the SMO, the protesting organisations said if the problem was not resolved by Monday, they would organise a bigger protest and shut the gates of the hospital.

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