Blood transfusions for thalassemia patients halted amid power backup failure

Blood transfusion services for thalassemia patients were abruptly disrupted on Saturday at the Thalassemia Center due to the absence of a power backup system, following a major electricity outage across the Greater Malé Region.

The outage occurred around 9:30am, affecting large areas of Malé and Hulhumalé, despite an earlier announcement by STELCO stating that scheduled maintenance and power grid upgrades would take place between 10:00am and 10:30am.

Healthcare professionals have raised concerns that a prolonged outage could compromise the safety of stored blood, potentially leading to spoilage.

The Thalassemia Center, which previously operated in Malé, was relocated to Hulhumalé after widespread public protests. The move followed issues at the Maldives Blood Services, where faulty filtering led to the disposal of donated blood, sparking criticism and demands for improved services.

Consequently, the Maldivian Blood Services and the Thalassemia and Other Hemoglobinopathies Center were moved to Orange Hiyaa, which was inaugurated by the President on May 26. The Thalassemia Center was relocated to Orange Hiyaa in Hulhumalé Phase I with promises of improved services. However, on Saturday, while some people were receiving blood transfusions, the power outage interrupted the process. The lack of a backup system in such a modernized facility has drawn public criticism.

As the issue gained attention on social media and public concern grew, power was restored to the Thalassemia Center.

However, some members of the public have confirmed to RaajjeMV that the blood transfusion service was indeed interrupted. Due to the power outage in GMR, blood transfusion services for thalassemia patients were interrupted at around 09:30am. Power was restored to the facility at approximately 10:20am.