My story for you: Khoon Ka Nata – My On-Call Awakening!!

Transcon 2025, Golden Jubliee - May month theme -

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Oh, I had one, right up my sleeve, waiting to be told to the world, and I found my platform!

And the story won the prestigious award at 50th Transcon 2025, Gurgaon, National Conference by Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohematology at Swarnajayanti Transcon Felicitation Program and now l hope it wins hearts too and resonates with each reader!!!

On - call working scenes during residency - Immunohematology workup

Khoon Ka Nata – My On-Call Awakening!!!

Aao Sunao Ek Kahani!

From self-doubt to self-realization ki! Na koi filmi twist, na koi badi baat ki. Ye kahani hai meri on-call night ki!

Main thi MD IHBT resident, at Seth GSMC and KEMH, a giant bustling government tertiary-care hospital in the heart of Mumbai. Our philosophy: “Patients don’t get referred from here. We have to do our best! We are their last hope!! No more batting the patients from here!! We are the tertiary care and highest referral centre in Mumbai!!

It’s a mantra embodied in my heart, throughout undergraduatation, then internship and now living the same in residency, carrying the legacy of this century old institute!!

The decade here made me into a completely different human!!! Alma Mater like no other!!

Yahan har roz naye cases, naye challenges milte the.

Residency ke pehle din excitement tha, pehla mahina commitment!

Par dusra saal aate aate, dil kahin thak sa gaya tha. ICT, DCT, crossmatch, blood donations, platelet collection, sab kuch mechanical lagne laga tha.

One year into my IHBT residency, I found myself in a slump. I had knowledge and skills, but something felt missing!!!

Fir aayi ek Mumbai monsoon wali on-call duty ki raat. Raat ke 10 baj rahe the, main duty pe thi. Blood bank mein silence tha, par mann mein shor! Little did I know, a moment of true awakening was about to arrive. I was thinking on loop, when will our training transcend theory and touch a life? Will Transfusion Medicine help me achieve my purpose of life??

Usi waqt ek middle aged aadmi bhaagte hue reception counter pe aaya. Haathon mein samples aur aankhon mein ghabrahat liye. "Meri biwi ko bacha lo. Hemoglobin 4 point hai. Koi bhi blood chalega. Bas bacha lo."

Our counter-attendant received the samples, and technical staff started processing urgently.

I thought, koi accident ka case hoga. Maine usee pucha, "Bhaiya, bataiye kya hua hai?"

Woh Bachche ki tarah bilkh bilkh ke ro pada aur bola, "3 hospital ghoom chuke hai. Koi blood nahi de raha. Kehte hain blood kharaab hai meri biwi ka, match nahi ho raha kisi se. Bina khoon ke woh nahi bachegi!! Bas blood de do, koi bhi, madam."

My heart sank.

It wasn’t just a clinical case anymore—this was desperation, raw human pain, that needed help and healing.

Main ne kaha, “Hum test karte hain, fir batate hai kya baat hai. Hum pe vishwas rakhiye, Blood jarur denge!”

Uske jaate hi meri technical staff lab she bhag ke aayi! Ma'am, pan agglutination hai. Blood Group tak confirm nahi ho raha.

“Cold antibodies?”, I muttered!

I repeated the group myself, incubating at 37°C. The reaction strength dropped slightly.

My mind shifted gears!

We needed a fresh sample. Maine technician se kaha, “Prewarming karna hoga, chalo sample le aate hain.”

I took the technician with me through the rain to casualty.

Mumbai ki tej barish ko chirte hue, Gate 7 ke pass bani hamari blood bank se Gate 2 ke paas bane casualty mein pahunche!! Sabse lamba safar tha woh mere mann ka!!

Casualty mein woh aadmi fir mila. Hume dekhte hi panic mein bola, “Madam, jo blood hai de do. Main har kagaz sign kar dunga. Bas meri biwi ko khoon dedo!!”

I smiled gently. “Hum aapko mana karne nahi aaye. Fresh blood sample Lene aaye hai.”

Prewarming technique samjhaya. Uski biwi ka Khoon match kyun nahi ho raha tha woh samjaya!! Uski aankhon mein chamak laut aayi!

As we walked away, I said, “Hamara toh har kisi se khoon ka rishta hai.

Yuhi ‘Nahi’ kaise bol dete!” 

Back at the lab, we worked methodically. Serum clear, blood group AB positive confirm hua! Crossmatch—compatible. Haash! Yes!—ek chhoti si jeet thi, par ek zindagi ke liye bahut badi baat thi.

I quickly called casualty—“Send the relative to collect the blood.”

He came running. Bags were issued.

Phir se technician aayi —“Madam, voh relative aapse milna chahte hain.”

I stepped out. Usne pair chhoone ki koshish ki. Unhe rok, meine kaha, “Sir please, yeh humari duty hai.”

Uske aansu ruk nahi rahe the.

He said — “Meri biwi ka khoon kharab nahi tha, koi usee pehchaan na raha tha! Aapne pehcana! Bass ek expert ki jarurat thi!! Madam, sirf khoon nahi diya aapne, meri zindagi bachayi. Mere bachche kal aayenge gaon se, toh ab apni maa se mil paayenge.”

His words pierced my soul.

That was the moment I knew— I mattered.

Our work mattered.

And it echoes in hospital wards, maternity units, Thal day care, ICUs, and in the hearts of anxious families.

Life hangs delicately on the balance of a ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ report. Every report, a decision, each of them has life-altering consequences.

Every interaction, an opportunity.

The void I had been feeling? Gone.

The color returned to my world. The spark returned to my work.

Mujhe meri kahani mili – junoon jaga!

The passion I’d been searching for wasn’t hiding in high-tech machines or complex procedures. It was right here—in the stories of our patients, our donors, in their fears and hopes! It wasn’t knowledge I lacked. It was purpose. Since then, I’ve never looked back.

I began doing something different. I started speaking more to colleagues, patients’ families, MSWs, ward boys, nursing staff, donors, organizers and policy makers. I wanted to understand their story. And slowly, a bigger picture emerged—our work is only as effective as our ability to build bridges. Whether I’m troubleshooting immunohematology cases, managing apheresis, guiding a first-time donor, training nursing students, or speaking at CMEs— I give my all.

Because now I know “My work ripples beyond me”.

From there grew my desire for capacity building. For teaching. For outreach. For empowering the next generation of Transfusion Medicine professionals to see what I had once missed.

“Har resident ke dil mein chhupa hota hai ek junoon—sirf use jagane ki der hoti hai!”

The greatest lesson I learnt so far? “The grass isn’t greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it.”

In the quiet hum of your work, someone’s life is whispering, “Thank you.”

Transfusion Medicine ab meri duty nahi, meri identity ban gayi.

That night, I thought I saved a life. But truthfully, that life saved me. I stopped chasing motivation—because service became my calling.

Agar aap bhi kabhi doubt mein ho, soch rahe ho, kya hi farq padta hai? To yaad rakhna — ho sakta hai “kisi aur ki zindagi ka farq aap hi ho”.

“Aapke kaam mein kisi ki dua chhupi ho. Aur aap hi uska jawab ho.”

To kaam karo dil se, samjho har kahani. Kyuki ho sakta hai agla miracle, ho tumhari Kahani. That night, I was given not just a challenge but a chance that transformed me.

My message - Stay curious. Serve with soul.

For even on the most mundane night, the universe might be sending you a moment that changes everything.

This field—once unknown to me—is now the beat of my heart!

Khoon ka rishta sirf ek idiom nahi, Kyuki ab samajh aaya hai,

Khoon ka rishta DNA se nahi, Dil se banta hai!!

If this resonates with you, do share your thoughts in the comments below and let’s start a dialogue recognising the true potential of Transfusion Medicine!!! No toxic positivity, but no ignoring the facts and potential too!!! Share with friends and colleagues and spread the message!!

Yours Truly,  

Dr Ruchi Punamia,

Founder and Author,

The Blood Blog

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