📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Yann Forget
Health
Alwar Hospital Blood Bank's SDP Machine Offline for a Week, Patients Pay Rs 11,000 for Private Supply
✍️ Amar Ujala · Alwar
🗓 08 Oct 2026, 03:15 PM
👁 16
The SDP machine at Alwar district hospital's blood bank has been non‑functional for a week due to power‑backup failure, compelling dengue, cancer and other critical patients to buy the product from private providers at roughly ₹11,000.
Alwar district hospital's blood bank reported that its SDP (Single Donor Platelet) machine has been out of service for the past seven days. The shutdown is attributed to a malfunction in the facility's electricity backup system, which is essential for the machine's operation.
Patients requiring platelet concentrates—particularly those battling dengue, cancer and other severe conditions—have been left without a reliable source of the product within the public health system. As a result, many have turned to private laboratories, where the cost of a single SDP unit is reported to be around ₹11,000.
The increased expense places a heavy financial burden on families already coping with serious illnesses. Hospital officials have acknowledged the issue but have not disclosed a timeline for restoring the machine's functionality.
Health advocates warn that prolonged unavailability of the SDP machine could exacerbate treatment delays for vulnerable patients, urging swift corrective action and better backup infrastructure.
The situation underscores the broader challenges faced by public hospitals in maintaining critical equipment amidst infrastructural constraints.
Patients requiring platelet concentrates—particularly those battling dengue, cancer and other severe conditions—have been left without a reliable source of the product within the public health system. As a result, many have turned to private laboratories, where the cost of a single SDP unit is reported to be around ₹11,000.
The increased expense places a heavy financial burden on families already coping with serious illnesses. Hospital officials have acknowledged the issue but have not disclosed a timeline for restoring the machine's functionality.
Health advocates warn that prolonged unavailability of the SDP machine could exacerbate treatment delays for vulnerable patients, urging swift corrective action and better backup infrastructure.
The situation underscores the broader challenges faced by public hospitals in maintaining critical equipment amidst infrastructural constraints.