Patients suffer as blood component separator lie unused in NHAK

Machine bought in 2016; technicians yet to arrive for installation

Morung Express News
Kohima | February 17

A blood component separator bought way back in 2016-17 is lying uninstalled and unused for years together in Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) depriving citizens of its requirement of specific blood during treatment.

Blood separation is a crucial process in a clinical laboratory and its common purpose as defined is to test “various blood components according to medical prescriptions. Each blood components has its unique role and function, thus separating it is the crucial process of the examination.”

With the increase in various illnesses, there is an urgent need for a blood component separator to separate the whole blood collected from a donor to Red Blood Cell (RBC), platelets, plasma (fresh frozen plasma) etc according to the specific requirements of a patient.

Although there is one blood component separator in Dimapur district, due to the distance, storage and transportation facilities, many a time it is not feasible for patients from other parts of the State.

While it is claimed that the blood component separator was defective on arrival, a highly placed source in the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) said, “At that point of time, there was no fund to make the payment and so the equipment was just kept without installation.”

‘Denying best possible treatment’

A doctor from Kohima narrating how he had to refer a young boy from a poor background suffering from leukemia to Guwahati due to non-availability of a blood component separator said, “the machine is an essential part of health care. Dealing with critical care, we really need a blood component separator.”

“A blood component separator is must have machine, if we are to treat serious patients with cancer, renal failures and other critical patients,” the doctor said explaining its importance.

“Ideally when a patient comes with low hemoglobin he or she needs only red blood cells rather than whole blood. Similarly, when a patient comes with low platelet he or she needs only platelet rather than the whole blood and the same goes for bleeding disorders.”

Currently, he said the practice in Kohima is treating everything with whole blood irrespective of which components is required. However, he cautioned that such practice can cause fluid and solute overload which has its own complications.

“Due to non-availability of blood components in Kohima, we are denying sick patients the best possible treatment, and not only that we are sending patients out of Kohima especially leukemia and cancer (some types) patients,” he stated.

Emphasizing on the urgent requirement of this machine, the doctor shared that the issue was raised with the people concerned but to no avail.

Wastage of blood component

When enquired on the benefits of having a blood components separator, the doctor explained it will avoid or reduce unnecessary wastage of blood component when not required. “The practice right now is to give ‘whole blood’ for patient requiring only Red Blood Cell (RBC) or platelet or plasma. We are wasting a lot of blood despite using the slogan ‘blood saves life,” he added.

“We will have more blood in our blood bank so that no patient will need to pay or die due to shortage of blood. Most importantly it will lead to better management of sick people requiring blood transfusion,” he added.

Besides, the doctor maintained that it will reduce avoidable volume overload problems and also enable the doctors to treat blood disorder without having to send patients outside, especially leukemia patients.

Better prognosis, multiple beneficiaries

A senior doctor from a reputed hospital in Kohima also added, “Patients requirement for blood are different and specific in some cases. When we give specific requirement, the prognosis is also better and by giving the whole blood, though the requirement is a fraction, instead of helping the patient, we may create problems sometimes.”

With the blood component separator, he stated that one unit of blood from a donor can benefit 2-3 patients according to the specific requirements of blood. However, in the absence of a separator, the practice now is to give one unit of blood is given to one patient.

He also expressed concern on the complications that might arise due to infusing ‘whole blood’ to the patients.

Although, at present, blood is being sent to Dimapur for separation according to the requirements of the patients, the senior doctor shared that “if the temperature requirement is not maintained properly, even if the blood reaches the patients, the efficacy of the blood is questionable.”

While it an urgent requirement for the capital town, he also opined that it would be even better if one blood component separator could be installed in Mokokchung so that it can cover parts of Longleng, Zunheboto and Tuensang districts.

Need for blood component bank

Another senior doctor from Dimapur explaining the importance of having a blood component separator said, “One of the most important components in a blood from the patient’s point of view is platelet. To get the platelet out from a donor, a component separator is required.”

“We find difficult to manage them (leukemia patients) because we don’t have a component blood bank. The leukemia patients who require constant platelet during the course of treatment they are not given quality blood because of lack of component blood bank in Nagaland,” the doctor said.

Expressing grave concern for those suffering from acute leukemia, he said, “we are worried about acute leukemia as 100% of the time they will have very low platelet because the disease is such that the patient requires plenty of platelet counts.”

While chemotherapy further reduces the platelet counts in those patients, he stated, “We can get good quality platelet only from a component separator, and we cannot give them so much of whole blood as they will be overloaded with blood.”

He also observed that not only does the state require blood component separator but also a ‘blood component bank’, which though is quite expensive both in terms of equipments and maintenance.

Technicians ‘on the way’

On being queried about the status of the machine installation, Principal Director H&FW, Dr Kevichüsa Medikhru informed that the department is working on the installation of the machine. “We met the suppliers and told them whatever is not working is to be corrected at the earliest.”

He informed that only one portion of the machine is not working and that technicians from Maharashtra are arriving on February 22 to repair and install the machine.

Source: https://morungexpress.com/patients-suffer-as-blood-component-separator-lie-unused-in-nhak