Professional donors make brisk business as safe contributors stay away during Ramadan
Professional blood donors, mostly junkies, are taking the advantage of blood crisis in the month of Ramadan, as safe donors refrain from donating due to physical weakness caused by daylong fasting.
Visiting several hospitals in the capital, this correspondent found professional donors doing a brisk trade of blood.
The transfusion of insecure blood endangers patients’ life with diseases like AIDS, hepatitis B and C, malaria and syphilis, sources at Blood Transfusion department of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital said.
Meanwhile, the price of blood donated by professional donors has almost doubled.
Harun-ur-Rashid Tusher, a broker of Life Safe Blood, said a bag of positive type blood is now selling for around Tk 1,200. Usually the cost ranges between Tk 600 and 800.
Shefali Begum, 45, had a surgery at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital on Thursday for a tumour in the uterus.
Told by doctors to collect blood, her family members contacted medical students’ forum Sandhani at Dhaka Medical College and donors’ network Bandhan at Dhaka University.
The organisations failed to arrange blood at one day’s notice. And no relative was available for the donation.
Finally, the AB (+) blood was bought from a blood bank that depends on professional donors.
Magistrate Anwar Pasha said during their earlier drives against illegal blood trade they found most of the professional donors to be druggies.
Samanta Lal Sen, project director of DMCH Burn and Plastic Surgery unit, said, ” Usually our unit doesn’t receive blood from professional donors. But during this crisis, supply from the safe donors is scarce and we have to take blood from professional donors.”
Dr Sen said the burn unit requires 30 bags of blood a day.
DMCH Blood Transfusion Centre sources said the hospital needs 150 to 200 bags of blood a day. Bandhan fills the major share of the requirement.
They also get a big quantity from DMC unit Sandhani. But every year during the last 10 days of Ramadan the supply of blood falls and most of the patients collect blood from professional donors. During this period no operation is conducted except the emergency ones.
Sakhawat Hossain Tanim, a Buet student and president of Bandhan central council, said they have five zones and 29 units based on universities and colleges.
During the last 10 days of Ramadan, most of the universities and colleges start their vacation and students leave their dormitories. Bandhan’s ability to supply blood falls drastically, Tanim said.
Bandhan usually supply about 450 bags of blood to the capital. But in Ramadan, the number is reduced to less than 150.
A member of Sandhani DMC unit preferring anonymity said every year blood crisis persists towards the last 10 days of Ramadan.
He said they launch blood donation camps but don’t see much success. Their donors, mainly students, are unwilling to donate blood as fasting makes them weak.
