Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (ISHBT) Consensus Document on Hematological Practice During COVID-19 Pandemic

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic is a worldwide public health emergency with widespread impact on health care delivery. Unforeseen challenges have been noted during administration of usual haematology care in these unusual COVID-19 times. Medical services have been overstretched and frontline health workers have borne the brunt of COVID-19 pandemic. Movement restrictions during lockdown prevented large sections of population from accessing health care, blood banks from holding blood drives, and disrupted delivery of diagnostic hematology services. The disruption in hematology care due to COVID-19 pandemic in India has been disproportionately higher compared to other subspecialities as hematology practice in India remains restricted to major cities. In this review we chronicle the challenges encountered in caring for hematology patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in India and put forth recommendations for minimizing their impact on provision of hematology care with special emphasis on hematology practice in lower and middle income countries (LMICs).