While many blood banks across Maharashtra were granted blanket approvals in recent months often without clear necessity, the State Blood Transfusion Council has now taken a crucial step toward accountability.
The council has issued a directive to blood banks collecting less than 2,000 units annually to organise more blood donation camps and increase public awareness. These guidelines align with the National Council of Blood Transfusion’s 2015 directive, which states that each center must voluntarily collect over 2,000 units per year.
Senior health officials have hinted that non-performing blood banks may be shut down, raising concerns about the logic of keeping such facilities operational if they fail to meet basic collection targets.
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Notably, a large number of applications for new blood banks had come from Western Maharashtra, sparking debate over whether new facilities are needed when many existing ones fall short of population-based needs. Furthermore, previous instructions issued during the blanket approval phase were reportedly ignored.