BANEPA: A severe shortage of blood has crippled medical services in Kavrepalanchok, with the Nepal Red Cross Society’s Blood Transfusion Service Center in Banepa reporting zero units of blood in stock.
Hospitals and families of patients were left scrambling on Thursday after the center, the district’s main blood bank, failed to provide even a single unit of blood.
“There is high demand from hospitals and individuals, but we currently have nothing in stock,” said Gokul Baniya, the center’s store in-charge.
The shortage has persisted for several days, worsened by a lack of regular donors and the absence of blood donation drives. The center, which can store up to 700 units, is receiving frequent calls for blood but has no supply to meet the demand.
Center chief Radha Thapa said they are forced to rely on last-minute requests to individual donors or patient relatives. “We are in urgent need of all blood types—A+, B+, AB+, and O+,” she said.
While blood was previously being sourced from neighboring Bhaktapur and Kathmandu, those districts too are now experiencing shortages, according to Baniya.
Kavre hosts half a dozen hospitals and numerous clinics that perform both general and specialized surgeries.
The shortage has severely affected patients requiring blood for surgeries, with the crisis extending to patients from neighboring districts like Sindhupalchowk, Sindhuli, Ramechhap, Dolakha, and others from the Madhes region.
Medical professionals are urging immediate blood donation efforts to avoid further risk to patient lives.
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