2:50 AM
I had barely slept the way I like to when the phone rang. In recent days I have observed that I, the person who did not wake even after the alarm ringing time and again, have become very sensitive to my cell phone rings. It took me about 4 rungs to figure out where my cell way. The person on the other end had lost his patience and kept the phone. I called back. "I'm Dr. X calling from St Martha's Hospital. Do you have 2 units of platelets?” Listening to this, the sleep vanished. Taking up emergency blood requests several times a day I knew that the town is facing extreme shortage of blood.
I enquired about the nature of problem and the urgency. The Doctor told me that it was a 10 year old kid suffering from Dengue and that is platelet count was 10000. This sent chills down my spine. We have lost a similar patient a few days back in the city because of shortage of platelets. And, from whatever I know about Dengue having taken numerous requests, 10000 was an alarming number. Anything could happen. There was no time. And 2 units of platelets as requested by the doctor were too few for such a case. Normally the clinicians recommend a platelet apheresis which takes the count to about 50000-60000. I asked him why he was not willing to go for platelet apheresis. The reply was - "Patient is too poor to afford apheresis".
There we were on the middle of the night with a young child fighting for life. Only hope for him was the supply of a few units of platelets. One blood bank after the other we started calling. In such times when a life is hanging with a thread of hope the most disguising thing is to have the most prominent blood banks in the city who claim to be the torch bearers of saving lives not pick up the calls. One after the other, we called the blood banks and one after the other; they said that they did not have the units available. One blood bank claimed to have the unit, but as soon as he realized that the call was not from his own hospital, he changed his statement and claimed that he cannot issue the platelets. I generally stay composed when I talk to the people on phone, but I felt compelled to tell him that this was the hope that the child had to survive. I told him we could replace blood immediately. But it fell on deaf ears. He told me that we could come after 9:00 AM and get the donation done. Then we could take the platelets too. People respect doctors. In India Doctors are referred to as Doctor Sahib with respect. Blood Banks are supposed to be emergency services to save life. I don’t know how that technician faces himself after refusing a chance to live to someone. I don't know what management policies and procedures will let a person die for sake of some bogus limitations.
Out of all the blood banks that we could think of two most major institutions never picked the call. I feel like going to their buildings and smashing their glasses. But this is just an emotional upsurge I guess. They surely will have a well tailored explanation which will add to my disgust and hatred for them.
There was one last blood bank where the receptionist told us that they could issue only one unit of blood. We saw hope. But she said that she needs to talk to her seniors. In 1 minute she came back and expressed her inability to part with even that one unit of platelets. Frantic appeals failed to move them. A no was a no whether it meant life or death to someone was none of their concern. Their rules are above human life.
There are times when you feel helpless like anything. When a city of 70,00,000 people cannot give one unit of platelets of any group to a child battling for life, many concepts break down. Desperation for that unit had already set in. We were already up for more than an hour struggling to get that one unit which would be the elixir of life for this patient. We had the contact number of the Blood Bank Officer of the blood banks which had shied away from issuing the unit. We called her up. She spoke warmly even though we had disturbed her in the middle of the night. We explained to her the situation and the need for her blood bank to issue that unit. She has been in this field for many years. And she is one person who probably understands human pain. She called her blood banks and instructed the unit to be issued with directions to us to replace the unit as soon as possible.
With a sigh of relief we called up Dr X and informed him that the unit was found. I told them to rush immediately and collect it. He asked me how that blood bank could have the unit because when he had called they said a no to him. I did not have a proper answer. I told him not to put his nose into details and just collect the unit that was reserved for them now. He agreed.
As I was keeping the phone down, something told Ankita to prompt me to mention that the patient's blood sample and request had to be taken along? I turned to her and said - "He is a Doctor". I did not know that this statement would come to haunt me later in the day.
The experience left me shaken. Bangalore with all of its so called World Class Blood Banking Facilities looked very helpless and ineffective to me. But we are part of it now. As much a part as anyone else involved in blood donation. I could not sleep in peace for the rest of the night.
At 6:15 Am the phone rang. It was Dr X again. He said that the blood bank has refused to issue the unit with cross-match. He told me that never before had anyone asked him for a cross match. I got very upset. It was more than an hour and a quarter since I had confirmed the availability of platelets for them. Still the patient had not got it. And here I had a Doctor who should have sent the sample of blood finding faults with the blood bank. I told him to speak to the blood bank directly. In sheer shock I lay. Every minute was filled with the fear. It was the fear of losing that child; the child who I will never see. I had been to a nice restaurant last evening. I had enjoyed all the delicacies they had to offer. I had come home in peace and gone to bed. I have also made a promise to do all that it takes to ensure no one dies because of shortage of blood. If unfortunately something happened to the patient, what face would I show to myself?
Fortunately the patient was okay till the time the relatives came back and took the sample. I don't know if the 2 units would suffice.
Even as I type this I know that there are no platelets in town. Those that are there are being sat over by some so called elite hospitals for their own elite patients. I know that there is platelet apheresis but I am also aware that the procedure will help only the rich. This summer, many men, women and most of all children may not be able to make it. All of us will continue to live our lives normally and even happily while they will struggle for those life saving cells screaming and struggling in the emergency wards of the hospitals. Crying out for help they will home for someone to stand for them. Either someone will come forward to help or the cries will faint out.
For me, there is no peace...