As election activities intensify, a shortage of blood has emerged in Dang. Blood Transfusion Centers in the district report that donors have been busy with election campaigning, and the lack of blood donation programs has led to a shortage. At Rapti Provincial Hospital, around 80 patients are currently undergoing regular dialysis. Due to the decline in blood donations, it has become difficult to supply blood to patients, said Naresh Chaudhary, a technician at the Tulsipur Blood Transfusion Center.
There are three blood transfusion centers operating in Dang, including in Ghorahi, Tulsipur, and Lamahi. These centers, run by the Red Cross, have been supplying blood to patients. However, since election activities increased, blood donation programs have not been held, leading to a shortage, technician Chaudhary explained.
With the rise in election campaigns, blood donation programs have been halted, and regular voluntary donors have also been unable to come forward. The centers stated that even when they appeal for urgent donations, people respond that they cannot come immediately due to their involvement in election campaigning.
In the time between mid-January and mid-February, eight organizations conducted blood donation programs in Tulsipur, collecting 111 pints of blood. However, mid-February onwards, no donation programs have taken place, resulting in a shortage, Chaudhary said.
Lamahi Blood Transfusion Service Center is also facing a shortage. On February 6, a program collected 23 pints of blood, but no programs have been organized since then, and regular donors have not been coming, said technician Seema Wali. In Ghorahi, too, a lack of blood donation could create serious problems within just a day or two, warned Dilip Neupane, chief of the Ghorahi Blood Transfusion Center. He suggested that candidates, political party leaders, and activists could incorporate blood donation into their election campaigns, which would not only be creative but also help save patients’ lives.