Mumbai, July 2, 2026: Serious irregularities in the functioning of the Sir J.J. Mahanagar Blood Centre have come to light after a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection and a subsequent inquiry by the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC).
The probe has revealed the alleged diversion of blood collected during government-organised donation camps to a private blood bank, exposing major operational and administrative lapses at the government-run facility.
Following directions from the Maharashtra government after the issue was raised during the ongoing Assembly session, Dr Suhas Mohanalkar, Deputy Director (Monitoring and Evaluation), Public Health Department, who is also holding additional charge as Assistant Director of the SBTC, lodged an FIR against two former contractual employees.
Former Staff Booked
According to the FIR, contractual Medical Director Dr Hitesh Pagare and contractual Medical Social Officer Ajay Bhise allegedly diverted blood bags collected during government-organised blood donation camps to Maya Blood Centre in Badlapur, causing financial loss to the government and compromising the integrity of the public blood collection system.
The complaint refers to a blood donation camp organised by Tarun Mitra Mandal at Chinchpokli on January 4, 2026, where the J.J. Mahanagar Blood Centre collected 188 units of blood.
Of these, 50 blood bags were allegedly removed by Bhise without the knowledge or approval of senior officials and transported to the private blood bank.
During an internal departmental inquiry in January, Bhise reportedly admitted to the unauthorised removal, submitted a written apology and reimbursed Rs 55,000 towards government processing charges. The matter was then closed departmentally after Dr Pagare was issued a warning for inadequate supervision.
Inquiry Reveals Irregularities
The case resurfaced after the FDA inspected the blood centre on June 22 and 23, reportedly uncovering serious deficiencies in its functioning. Based on the findings, the FDA temporarily suspended the blood centre's operations.
Subsequently, the SBTC constituted a three-member committee on June 24 to scrutinise records of blood donation camps conducted over the past three years.
The committee reportedly found major discrepancies between the number of blood bags collected during camps and the entries in official registers, raising suspicion of systematic diversion of blood bags and serious deficiencies in inventory management.
The inquiry has also uncovered other alleged irregularities. Investigators suspect that government-owned consumables and equipment meant for the J.J. Mahanagar Blood Centre were shifted to Maya Blood Centre in Badlapur.
The accused are further alleged to have supplied blood free of cost to private blood centres, misused a government vehicle assigned to the blood centre for private purposes, and manipulated expenditure records by altering bills and submitting false claims, causing financial loss to the state exchequer.
Comprehensive Audit Ordered
The SBTC has ordered a comprehensive audit of blood bags procured, collected and utilised during blood donation camps over the last three years.
The audit will examine procurement records, stock registers and utilisation data to determine the extent of the alleged irregularities. The records will also be examined by the Audit Inspection Department in Pune.
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A criminal case has been registered against the accused under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, while investigations into the functioning of the blood centre are continuing.
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