Pune Tops Maharashtra In Blood Donation With 1.58 Lakh Units

Pune district has topped the state with 1.58 lakh units of blood donated to blood banks between January and May this year. Between January and May, 2,127 blood donation camps were organised in Pune district, according to data from the State Blood Transfusion Council. Mumbai held 1,651 camps and collected 1.27 lakh units of blood. Solapur district came third with 88,000 units collected through 1,276 camps.

Overall, the state collected 9.81 lakh units of blood through 17,139 camps. However, the collection is still not sufficient to meet the demand, health department officials said.

Dr Purushottam Puri, Additional Director of the State Blood Transfusion Council, Health Services, Maharashtra, said that the state collected 21.68 lakh units of blood in 2024. This year, 9.48 lakh units have been collected in the first five months.

Pune district collected 3,46,450 units of blood in 2023 and 3,45,968 units in 2024. In 2025, the figure rose sharply to 4,06,319 units, reflecting increased public participation in blood donation drives. Mumbai ranked second in the state, while Solapur secured the third position. Hingoli recorded the lowest blood collection among all districts.

The increase has been attributed to the growing number of blood donation camps organised by social organisations, educational institutions, industrial groups, voluntary associations and blood banks. Officials said nearly 5,000 blood donation camps are now conducted annually across the district, encouraging more first-time donors, particularly among the youth.

Despite the encouraging rise in collections, healthcare experts warn that blood availability still falls short of the growing demand. Patients suffering from thalassemia, cancer, haemophilia and other serious illnesses require regular blood transfusions. Blood is also critical for treating accident victims, supporting major surgeries, organ transplant procedures and managing childbirth-related complications.

Pune district currently has around 50 operational blood banks. Government-run blood collection facilities are available at the District Hospital, Sassoon General Hospital and Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital in Pimpri-Chinchwad.

With the district's population continuing to grow and healthcare needs increasing, the Health Department has appealed to eligible citizens to donate blood at least once a year to help maintain adequate blood reserves and meet emergency medical requirements.