Kabal Singh from far flung area of Doda was all in tears sitting near the shrunken body of his sleeping 12 year old day son Sanjay, who was diagnosed of having blood cancer just a few days back in the SMGS hospital. Feeling helpless, his new worry is to arrange blood for his son, who will require it on a regular basis initially. Like Sanjay, there are hundreds of other children with blood cancer who require the blood, especially in the initial period when their haemoglobin is quite low and later during the chemotherapy.

The SMGS, the main referral healthcare hospital for children of the entire Jammu region is fraught with shortage of blood, with hospital authorities having to resort to NGOs, local channels and FM radio at the times of emergencies. On Monday, a group of youngsters under the banner of New Young Blood Organisation came forward to help such children with blood cancer. Nearly fifty youths donated blood, so that the same could be used for saving the lives of these children. The blood donation camp was inaugurated by National Conference MLA Bimla Luthra.

Sources said that the annual requirement of the blood in the GMC and SMGS Hospital is around more than 42000 units while as the availability of the blood on an average is less than 34000 units.

Head of the Paediatrics department at SMGS Hospital Dr Ashok Gupta said that on an average they have nearly eight to ten children admitted in the hospital who are undergoing treatment for the blood cancer. He said that when these children are diagnosed of having blood cancer, their haemoglobin is generally low and they need blood transfusion. “After that when they undergo chemotherapy, to normalize their platelet count, they again require blood. Some times, we find great difficulty in arranging the blood, especially if it is a rare group. Then we seek the assistance of the local channels and NGOs”, he added.

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