In blast times, eunuch goes to donate blood, is turned away

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In blast times, eunuch goes to donate blood, is turned away

Stories of callousness of hospitals is not new. Refusing beds to the

terminally ill, denying care to the sick, making them wait for hours

for an appointment…the list is endless.

And now, in blast times, if a recent incident at Ram Manohar Lohia

Hospital is to be considered a case in point, there is discrimination

against those who want to help, also.

After the blasts, many people came forward to help and donate blood.

Among them was Sita—a eunuch. After hearing of the plight of the

victims of Saturday's blasts, Sita wanted to help and went to RML

Hospital where the doctors refused to accept her blood and turned her

away.

This, apparently, at a time when the hospital would have needed as much blood as

possible!

For the doctor at the blood bank, the fact that Sita was a eunuch was

enough to send her on her way. " When I went to donate blood on

Saturday around 10 pm, Dr Veena Doda, the blood bank incharge, said

they did not need a eunuch's blood and turned me away, " Sita said.

Shockingly, this happened at a time when dozens of injured people had

been brought to the hospital for treatment.

Harsh Malhotra, secretary general, Delhi Pradesh National Panthers Party, who

witnessed the incident on Saturday night, said, " It is

human blood after all and in times of crisis such attitude is not

acceptable. The doctor misbehaved with Sita just because she is a

eunuch. "

While confirming that there was a shortage of blood at the hospital,

Rahul Verma of Uday Foundation—a non-profit organisation for

congenital defects and rare blood groups—said, " I got phone calls from anxious

relatives of victims telling me that the hospital was short of blood that

evening, " he said.

A NACO survey shows that, voluntary donation in Delhi is only 24 per

cent. " Blood shortages are a regular feature and if hospitals are

turning away donors then obviously there are no plans to increaseblood

donation. "

Denying any knowledge of the incident, Medical Superintendent, Dr N.K.

Chaturvedi, said, " At the time of the blast we had 250 units of blood of all

blood groups. Many voluntary organisations came and donated blood but then we

redirected the donors to Red Cross as it is

centralised and all hospitals could get blood from there. "

He, however, added that there was a blood donation camp at the

hospital on Sunday and Monday.

But why was Sita refused? Was it because she is a eunuch? " That you

have to ask Dr Doda as she is the incharge of the blood bank, " said Dr

Chaturvedi. Efforts to contact Dr Doda, however, failed.

What's more, even the law has provisions that prevent people like Sita from

exercising their duty as a citizen.

When asked, Aditya Bandyopadhyay, a gay lawyer, says, " According to

the Blood Safety Regulation, there is a clause in the form (which the

donor has to fill) that asks if the donor is male or female. If the

answer is none, then the doctors can refuse to take blood from such a

donor. " He adds that so long as Article 377 is alive, such

discriminatory clauses would remain.

Would you rate this as discrimination? Should eunuchs be given equal rights?

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