The country's supply of donated blood has dwindled to the point that it now takes the National Blood Centre a few days to respond to a hospital's request for blood.
The longer critical patients have to wait, the greater the risk to their health and their lives.
"We used to be able to respond within one day," the centre's director Dr Soisa-ang Pikulsod said yesterday.
The number of blood donors has dropped to just 1,200 a day, she said. In the past, between 1,500 and 1,600 people donated blood to her centre. Located on Henri Dunant Road, it is a part of the Royal Red Cross Society.
Although her centre dispatches mobile blood-donation units to various places, the number of donors to those units has also dropped lately to just 100 a day.
"The shortage of donated blood is reaching a critical point," Soisa-ang said.
She said that in critical cases patients could not wait long, but hospitals would not perform surgery when they knew they did not have enough blood units in hand.
Donated blood must undergo a series of checks to ensure that it is safe for use. The process takes at least eight hours. In other words, donated blood cannot be immediately given to patients.
"Our stock of donated blood is equivalent to just a 10-day supply," Soisa-ang said.
She believes the number of blood donors has dropped partly because there is a public belief that there are ample stocks.
"Many blood donors volunteer to help only when there are public pleas," she said.
Soisa-ang said up to 60 per cent of blood donors gave just once a year, mainly on special occasions such as their birthdays or New Year.
"I hope people will donate twice a year. That way, we will get enough blood," she said.
The National Blood Centre is open every day: 8am-4.30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 7.30am-7.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and 8.30am-3.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Rajavithi Hospital director Dr Warunee Jinarat said she was aware of the shortage at the National Blood Centre.
"So now, we have asked relatives of inpatients, soldiers and staff of nearby agencies to donate blood," she said.
She said blood donations could be made directly at the Rajavithi Hospital.
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2012/11/17/critically-low-supply-of-donated-blood-leaves-hospitals-in-precarious-position/
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