Mumbai, May 18: A severe blood shortage has gripped Mumbai during the peak summer season, when many regular donors travel out of the city and blood donation camps witness a sharp decline.
The crisis is forcing patients’ relatives to run from one blood bank to another in search of life-saving blood units. In several cases, families reportedly had to wait nearly 24 hours before blood could be arranged.
A patient admitted to Holy Family Hospital for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) urgently required O-negative blood. According to family members, they visited multiple blood banks before finally receiving blood from H.N. Reliance and Hinduja blood banks after an entire day of struggle. Similar difficulties were faced by the relatives of a 65-year-old woman admitted to Nair Hospital.
Hospitals report alarming shortage
The crisis has exposed the alarming shortage of blood reserves across Mumbai’s government and private hospitals, raising concerns over the treatment of critical patients, especially those suffering from thalassemia.
According to the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC), Maharashtra has 410 blood banks, including 58 in Mumbai. The state requires nearly 4,000 to 5,000 units of blood daily, while Mumbai alone consumes between 500 and 1,000 units every day. However, hospital authorities said the present stock levels are far below the required amount.
KEM Hospital currently has only 65 units of blood available against a daily requirement of nearly 100 to 129 units. At St George Hospital, merely four units of blood remain in stock despite having around 100 registered thalassemia patients who require 10 to 15 units every day.
Major hospitals facing low reserves
Low blood reserves have also been reported at JJ Hospital, GT Hospital, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital in Kandivali, Cama Hospital, Bhabha Hospital in Bandra and the Indian Red Cross blood bank.
Rajawadi Hospital officials stated that their current blood stock may last only five days. The hospital has recently started a DNB course, increasing the number of patients and blood requirements. Even the JJ Mahanagar Blood Bank, considered one of Mumbai’s largest blood banks, has only 204 units in stock, which experts said is insufficient for the city’s growing demand.
Donation camps decline during summer
Vinay Shetty of Think Foundation, an organisation actively involved in helping patients arrange blood, said Mumbai requires nearly 1,000 blood donors every day to maintain adequate reserves.
“Blood shortages usually intensify during festival seasons like Diwali. During summer vacations, many people travel out of the city, resulting in fewer blood donation camps and reduced donations,” Shetty said.
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Health experts and social organisations have appealed to citizens to come forward and donate blood to prevent the crisis from worsening in the coming weeks.
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