SUMMARY

Umerkot district in Sindh province is in critical need of a blood bank to cater the population of the many nearby towns and villages so that a number of lives can be saved which are lost due to scarcity of blood needed during emergency operations, surgeries, and deliveries.

GEOGRAPHY OF UMERKOT

Umerkot is a district in the east of Sindh province, having population of 1,073,1461. Umerkot District has an area of 5,6082 sq. kms divided into four (4) tehsils and it is bordering with Thar in South East and India in North west at Khokhrapar (Fig. 1). The major towns of Umerkot District are Umerkot City, Kunri, Pithoro, Ghulam Nabi Shah, Samaro, Dhoronaro, Chor, ThandNabiSer and Jimsabad. The other major rural areas include Sufi, Raja Rasti, Rana Jagir, Balochabad, ShadiPalli, Bachaband, Haider Farooq, Chelhband,Bustaan, Tali, and Kharoro.

ANALYSIS

There is a government hospital of 100 beds in Umerkot city, serving the population of most of the nearby villages and towns. The smaller medical units of this government hospital are operational in Kunri, Umerkot City, Dhoronaro and Chor.
According to the local hospital MLO and Doctors 500 deaths occur every year due to nonavailability of blood during delivery and emergency cases. The people who need blood in any emergency situation try to arrange the blood from their family members, relatives or other acquaintances. Most of the times, it becomes very difficult to ensure the availability of blood on time so that the life of the patient can be saved. The nearest town which has a functional blood bank is in the government hospital MirpurKhas which is approximately 80 kilometers away from Umerkot (Fig 2). It may take two or even three hours’ drive to reach from Umerkot to MirpurKhas, depending on the traffic and road conditions, which is not possible in emergency situations. Even if this travelling time is subtracted from the equation, there is no guarantee that the blood bank in MirpurKhashas the required blood type as the blood bank is being poorly managed under the administration of the government hospital.

Fig 1. Map of Umerkot District

Fig 2. Distance between Umerkot and the nearest big city MirpurKhas has

PROPOSED SOLUTION

It is proposed that a basic type of blood bank be established in Umerkot city which has the largest population in the Umerkot district and hospital, to meet the need of blood transfusion. The blood bank will be within easy access to the people belonging to nearby towns and villages situated within the 20 – 25 kms radius of the city.

The blood bank should have the minimum equipment and staff which is necessary for the collection, testing, storage and transportation of blood. The blood bank must have trained professional medical staff having skills to handle the processes related with the blood donation, testing and transfusion.

IMPACT

The establishment of a basic type of blood bank in Umerkot city will greatly help in reducing the number of deaths caused by unavailability of blood in emergency situations in the city and the nearby towns and villages.

Besides saving lives of the patients who need blood, blood donation also helps the donors to maintain good health. Blood donation helps in maintaining the iron levels and reduces the risk of various health ailments related to heart, liver and many types of cancers.

References:

1. CENSUS – 2017 PAKISTAN
   (http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/DISTRICT_WISE_CENSUS_RESULTS_CENSUS_2017. pdf)
2. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
   (http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/tables/District%20at%20a%20glance%20Umarkot.pdf)