Blood Bank pushed to blood line crisis

August 19, 2016, 7:58 pm 

"What I want is Sinha-Le" the patient insisted.

He was being prepared for surgery and having tested his blood had been told it would be helpful to arrange for blood of the not so readily available A+ Group, and that was his problem.

"What I have is Sinha-Le – there is nothing English or foreign with my blood, it is the real Sinha-Le" he told the nursing sister who told him of what may be needed.

The sister thought it was a simple matter. "Alright, don’t worry. Do you have members if yor family or friends who have the same A-group blood. The Blood Bank will give you what is needed, but it is good to give it more stocks," she said.

But the patient was adamant. I am not bothered whether they are from my family or my friends –I will only take Sinha-Le, and that must be understood. If you don’t understand it I will write it down. He sat up on his bed, took his note book, wrote down - සිංහලේ, and gave it to the sister. "This is the only blood I will take", he said very firmly.

The surgery was due the next day, so the sister informed the House Officer of the problem. He soon came to the patient and told him he need not worry, because the Type A + blood, was not an anti-Sinhala blood type, and that it did not belong to any other race or community.

But such explanation was of no use. The patient could not be persuaded. What he wanted was "Sinhala-Le" and nothing else. If not he would leave the hospital on his own and not have the surgery. The doctor knew that would be bad for the man, as his condition required quick surgery taking a long time, needing plenty of blood.

This became a major problem for the National Hospital, Colombo, and the major hospital in the island. One is not certain whether the problem faced by the NHC had anything to do with the reported political clash earlier this week between rivals on what seemed to be a matter of blood – but was not bloody as it could well have been.

It was the hugely abusive verbal clash between those who were carrying out a demonstration for what they called "Ekama Le" – Blood with no Difference- and a group from what is being as the "Sinha Le" movement, emphasizing this as the dominant blood of the Sri Lankan nation – or shall we say the Sinhala nation.

It certainly did not matter to them that "Sinha-Le" they were calling for with stickers on the rear windows of cars and the back of three-wheelers, seemed to be the blood of a lion, seeing the sword bearing lion symbol that accompanies the slogan. The group calling for "Ekama-Le" or Blood with no Difference, also seemed to be wholly ignorant of the several types of blood groups in humans. Neither group seemed to know of the Rhesus factor in our blood, which comes from the primates, and not any other animal.

Meanwhile, the patient was giving his own version of things to other patients in the ward. He said this was major conspiracy, and anti-national conspiracy. We are Sinha or Lion blooded people, this comes down through our history. They are trying to make us forget King Vijaya, his father Sinhabahu, and the lion that was his father. We have come from that great line of lion blood – that is the Sinha-Le that I have, and all good Sinhala people have. That is what I am asking for, he explained to the somewhat surprised other patients, who were also to receive blood from the Blood Bank for their surgeries. I tell you this is a western conspiracy to change our blood using their alphabet.

One patients who had heard him, quietly asked, but what do we do if the Blood Bank does not have this blood? Do you think our good Sinhala doctors do not know anything about this, and are also part of this anti Lion blood conspiracy?

Another patient said – my blood group is B, and I know that most of the others here are of the "O" group. Are you saying we are not Sinhala people, and have no links to the history coming down from Vijaya?

The Sinha-Le patient was not giving up easily. "I don’t know whether the doctors are in any conspiracy. This may be much beyond them. But it is time they thought of acting on this matter, as they are making protests about other issues that many say do not involve them".

One patents had a novel idea. He was more concerned with the Sinha-le’s health. "Look, you go ahead with your surgery. We will make a demand from the government to change the names of blood groups into Sinhala".

Sinha-Le responded: "That is an interesting idea, but we can’t just name them like in our Sinhala alphabet. The letter for the Sinha or Lion sound comes very far down the alphabet, and we may never have a Sinha-Le named as such.

They had a confab and arrived at a compromise. To ask the Blood Bank to name Blood Group "A" as Sinha-Le. Of course A + would then be a stronger lion’s blood. The patient who raised the issue seemed to be proud at having a stronger lion’s blood in his veins as suggested.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health to which this matter had been reported had decided to summon an urgent meeting of medical experts, especially with regard to blood types, to work out a new strategy for the Blood Bank. We may have to await a presidential decision on that, at least before the Joint Opposition calls for a bloody dance -walk on the matter.