The baby boy born to Nirmala Khadka four days ago was born with jaundice and doctors at the Nobel Medical College had asked the child´s family to make arrangements for O-negative blood Saturday afternoon. But O-negative blood could not be found in the regional blood bank of Red Cross in Biratnagar. [break]
They finally got the required blood from the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) Sunday morning but it was too late. “We could have saved the infant had we found blood in time. His health deteriorated in the evening and he would not have died if we had started blood transfusion immediately,” rued Dr Subodh Sharma who was involved in the boy´s treatment.
The kid was the first child of Nirmala and husband Tika. Relative Navaraj Karki had first gone to the regional blood bank but returned empty-handed. The family even visited the office of a local daily to seek help but to no avail. They even checked the blood group of motorcyclists through their driving licenses with help from traffic police Saturday night.
“He would not have died if we had found the blood in time. My first child died an untimely death,” father Tika said struggling hold back tears.
The infant is not the first to lose life due to lack of blood. Navaraj Nepal, 14, of Biratnagar-22 had also died last week due to lack of platelets as the extracting equipment in the regional blood bank has remained unrepaired for over a and year and a half. The same equipment at the BPKIHS has also broken down recently and the patients in the eastern region have to go to elsewhere for treatment. “The blood bank remains indifferent even as patients die due to lack of platelets,” said Dr Sudhir Shrestha at Koshi Zonal Hospital.
“We have been forced to refer patients to India or Kathmandu,” he added.
Biratnagar, which requires 50 pints of blood on an average every day, is reeling under blood crisis as the blood bank has gone dry with very few blood donation programs organized over the last few weeks.
Meanwhile, over half a dozen non-government and social organizations have drawn the attention of the National Human Rights Commission toward the death of an infant due to lack of blood.
One dies due to lack of treatment
According to RSS report, a patient died due to lack of treatment in time after there was no flight on Saturday at Khanidanda Airport, Khalle, Khotang following unfavorable weather.
Debika Acharya, 30, of Diktel-4, who fell unconscious after consuming poison on Thursday evening, died after she could not be taken to Kathmandu for further treatment, said police.[break]
The deceased was returned to the district headquarters after the Nepal Airlines Corporation that used to make flights to Kathmandu from Khanidanda made no flight at the Airport on Saturday, informed family members of the deceased.
She had consumed poison after a family dispute, and died due to lack of treatment as there were no flights for three days.
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