Mumbai blood banks reeling from severe shortage

The summer vacation is taking its toll on the stock in blood banks, which are finding it difficult to get donors as many Mumbaikars have left the city for holidays.

The situation is expected to only worsen, with a lot of surgeries being scheduled for May. To avoid a shortage of blood, the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) is scouting around for donors at shopping malls and the police training centre.

Dr Girish Chowdhary, in-charge director, SBTC, said: “Blood banks across the state face a shortage during the summer vacation. Our main source of blood is the college-going youth, but they are not available during the holidays.”

Head of Thane-based blood bank Bloodline Dr Yogita Patil said: “We planned some blood donation camps in April. But we cannot store blood for such a long time. The situation gets worse in May. Some hospitals have to postpone planned surgeries because of the shortage. This season, we are facing an acute shortage of the AB negative group.”

Dr TP Lahane, dean, JJ Group of Hospitals, said: “It is a tricky situation in summer. On the one hand, people plan surgeries during the vacation and, on the other, blood banks do not find enough donors in this period.”

Sheetal Bansode, medical social worker at the Jaslok Hospital blood bank, said that the situation in blood banks at private hospitals is different.

“We ask patients’ relatives to look for donors or donate blood if they are from the city. If they are from outside and not able to donate blood, we call up NGOs and ask them to suggest donors,” she said.