Though notices soliciting donations had been posted on the hospital's walls for the past fortnight or so, the alarming situation was brought to public notice on Wednesday morning when pager companies sent out messages seeking blood donations. An Express staffer who went to donate blood was informed that there were only three units in the bank, hence the request. By the time this reporter reached the hospital, the unit count totalled four.

Doctors at the SSG blood bank told Express Newsline that the crisis was an annual feature during the vacations and festivals. ``We somehow manage, however, with the help of other blood banks of the city, though the same is an inconvenience to the already aggrieved patients and their kin. The problem is aggravated when the patients' kin insist on blood and avoid replacements, thus exhausting the stock'', says bank in-charge Dr R Z Patel.

The crisis appeared to have taken its toll in the form of three lives during the day. Fifty-year-old Santa Padhiar of Jaspur, died of multiple injuries and profuse bleeding; Kamla Vasava (40) of Asoj, and Sita Sindha (21) of Anand died of burns, but probably because they did not receive a blood transfusion in time. Doctors acknowledge that there could be other causes of death, but say immediate supply of blood could have helped.

The delay for required blood supply was in the wake of almost nil stock at bank and incapability of the patients' kin to arrange replacement.

Incidentally, the bank had around 200 units in stock about a month ago, but collection had fallen during the festival. Most of the blood collected in the city comes from the blood donation camps held periodically; these camps take a backseat during festivals.

Doctors at SSG say they had spread the word on the crisis among hospital authorities, 500 doctors and over 1,500 students and members of the public through a voluntary agency called Those of Us who Care to Help (TOUCH), but nothing much happened. Touch activist Sachin Patel and senior members of the Junior Doctors' Association Vivek Agarwal and Amarnath Pramanik said they had already begun a mobilisation drive.

They said all doctors and medical students donate blood every three months as they know its importance. ``Others do not seem to be aware of the simple fact that blood cannot be manufactured, it has to be donated, and the cycle of its supply has to be maintained'', Puranik adds.