Hospital shifted to new site, blood bank left behind!

Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, January 20

The local District Hospital was shifted from Railway Road to National Highway-7 two years ago in December 2021. But the blood bank situated in the old building has not been shifted to the new building reportedly due to lack of proper accommodation there.

The patients, particularly the accident victims are at the receiving end as they have to move from one building to another to fetch blood from the blood bank.

Kapil Sharma, a local resident, said he had to make several rounds to get blood from the old building for his pregnant wife. He questioned that if the local residents have to face hardship, then what the people from remote areas would be enduring?

Sources said the receipts of the amount paid against seeking blood are issued in the new building while the blood has to be collected from the old building.

“We need blood frequently for my ailing uncle but fetching it from old building has been causing trouble for us,” said one Krishan Lal Kamboj.

The patients have all praise for the blood bank staff as the bank has won consecutive four state-level prizes from year 2019 to 2022 for high volume collection and distribution, but the failure to shift the bank to new building is a cause for concern for them.

Even the staff members are a harassed lot as they have to go to new building for official works. The kin of the patients have to move from the new to old building commuting through the town as no direct road connects both the buildings.

Blood Transfusion Officer (BTO) Dr Sukhmani said about 200 units of blood are supplied to the patients in one month in Fazilka.

Dr Rohit Goyal, Officiating Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, said the process of shifting the blood bank to the new building is in progress.