No blood for thalassemia in Lushnje

01/10/2013 00:00

Demand at the Blood Bank of Lushnje is three or four times higher than
the capacity. The people who suffer from thalassemia have to go every 21
days there, and a considerable number have blood transfusion vital for
being alive.

Blood Bank leaders are asking for urgent help. They have always been in this state of urgency, but the situation has become more difficult recently even due to the lack of funds for buying blood from persons who sell it.

“It is very difficult, especially now that the new season is coming and schools are open. All we have is blood donations. We would go everywhere just to find blood. We don’t have enough money to pay. It is difficult for us, because besides the patients of thalassemia, we also have the urgencies of the maternity and the surgery”, says Mehmet Xhindolli, Director of the Blood Bank in Lushnje.

“Regardless of our efforts to raise awareness, the donations have been small, just from five or six people”, says Donika Hazizi.

Those who suffer more from this situation are the thalassemic patients, who go to banks with the hope to find the right blood group.

“We have to wait in queues. I was here two days ago and they didn’t give me blood”, one of them says.

There are several cases when the patients of thalassemia return home without taking the blood they need. This makes their health get worse, while the cost is increased, because most of them travel from Elbasan, Berat and Fier.

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