Jharkhand News : A severe blood shortage has hit the Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College and Hospital in Hazaribagh, leaving patients and their families struggling to get life-saving transfusions. Many are being forced to wait for hours or return empty-handed due to the lack of available blood units.
The situation has become particularly critical for thalassemia patients, who require regular blood transfusions. The crisis emerged following a recent state government directive that abolished the long-standing “blood-for-blood” exchange system. Under the new rule, patients no longer need to bring a donor to receive blood. While the decision aimed to ensure fairness, it has inadvertently led to a steep drop in donations, leaving blood banks nearly dry.
The new regulation was introduced after an incident in Chaibasa, where thalassemia-affected children were allegedly transfused with HIV-positive blood.
Dr. Neeraj Kumar, in charge of the Hazaribagh Blood Bank, said on Friday that the stock has plummeted from about 100 units to just 20. “If this continues, the blood bank could run out completely within hours,” he warned.
The shortage has caused major distress for patients. Families have been making desperate rounds of the hospital and private nursing homes in search of blood. Private blood banks in Hazaribagh are also facing similar shortages.
Two mothers waiting since morning for blood for their thalassemia-affected children were still empty-handed by afternoon. Doctors fear that if voluntary donors do not come forward soon, the crisis may turn even more severe in the coming days.
