Lack of aid, surging patients dry up Afghanistan’s blood bank

Afghanistan’s Central Blood Bank is facing blood shortage due to a lack of international aid and an increase in patients.

The Asian country’s main body to collect and distribute blood to hundreds of patients daily is practically dry, the director of the blood bank, Dr. Mohammad Nasir Sadiq, told reporters.

“We have over 1,200 registered patients, most of them are children with thalassemia and hemophilia and all of them need fresh blood, which is a challenge in the current situation for us,” he said.

According to the United Nations, so far this year the agency has only received less than 5 percent of the funds required to help the country, making Afghanistan the lowest funded aid operation globally, despite facing the world’s largest and most severe humanitarian crisis.