Shireen Bagh a SSH; Super Specialty Hospital without a blood bank

The lack of a blood bank at the Super Specialty Hospital, Shireen Bagh, Srinagar is giving patients a tough time as their surgeries get delayed due to the non-availability of blood units.

According to officials, over 10 blood transfusion bags are required every day for patients who undergo various surgeries at the hospital. “This is a Super Specialty Hospital and it should have a separate blood bank. Whenever patients require blood, they get it from other hospitals,” officials said.

They said that the hospital needs 300 units of blood every month. Super Specialty Hospital, Shireen Bagh is an offshoot of SMHS Hospital and was thrown open a few years ago. Being a referral hospital, there is an increase in the flow of patients to the hospital from Srinagar and other districts.

The patients and their attendants said that keeping in view the flow of patients, it was important to set up a blood bank on the premises of the hospital. A group of attendants outside the hospital said that they had to move from pillar to post to get the blood units for their patients.

Muhammad Ramzan of Kupwara said that his sister’s surgery got postponed multiple times due to the non-availability of blood units. Another patient said that he had to wait for hours to get the blood transfusion bags for his father. The attendants of the patients said that some surgeries were postponed by a week, especially for patients with rare blood groups.

Medical Superintendent, Super Specialty Hospital, Shireen Bagh, Srinagar, Dr Jahangir Bakshi told that a blood bank for the hospital had already been approved. “The blood bank will come up in the new building of the hospital, which is in the final stages of commissioning,” he said.

Last year, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha that 63 districts in India did not have a blood bank. It said that public health, being a state subject, was the primary responsibility of the state governments and they had to ensure the establishment of blood banks as per their need. “However, support is provided to states and union territories to strengthen their healthcare system including strengthening existing blood banks and establishing new blood banks based on proposals submitted by the states through the National Health Mission,” the Centre said.