Severe Blood Shortage in Chitwan, Red Cross Urges Public to Donate Blood

March 19, Chitwan – Chitwan is currently facing an acute shortage of blood. In response, the Nepal Red Cross Society’s Chitwan branch has issued an appeal to conduct blood donation programs.

In an appeal issued by branch chairman Hariprasad Paudel, it was highlighted that hospitals in the district are struggling to meet the blood demand of patients currently under treatment. The appeal urges the public to take an active part in blood donation drives. The shortage has been attributed to reduced blood donation activities following the recent elections. At present, there is a daily demand for approximately 150 units of blood in the district, which remains unmet.

With a decline in blood donation campaigns, the availability of the required amount of blood has been insufficient. At the Bharatpur Regional Blood Transfusion Center and major hospitals, patients’ relatives and volunteers have been donating blood to fill the gap. Treatments for patients arriving from outside the district have been halted due to the shortage.

According to the center’s chief, Rameshkant Paudel, due to the current lack of blood at the center, efforts continue to meet demand with the help of blood donors who are relatives of patients and volunteers.

Two major medical colleges in Bharatpur, Bharatpur Hospital, the Cancer Hospital, and other surgical hospitals are facing difficulties in providing blood on an emergency basis due to the shortage. Cancer patients especially require large quantities of blood.

Additionally, blood is essential for surgeries involving postpartum women and patients injured in accidents. The absence of continuous blood donation programs has created this deficit, the center chief Paudel explained.