Local authorities have halted blood collection at the hospital’s second-floor blood bank nearly a month ago, with remaining supplies lasting up to 35 days, as revealed by a civic official . A structural audit in early June classified the facility as “C2A”—safe for limited occupancy but unsafe for regular use. Although the third floor has been renovated, second-floor repairs are underway, expected to take six to eight months, prompting a partial shutdown of the blood bank.

Former Kalina corporator Tulip Miranda and doctors have raised concerns that patients needing urgent transfusions—like those undergoing C‑sections or spinal surgeries—will now need to travel to Cooper Hospital in Juhu, increasing costs and delays . Despite the presence of private blood banks nearby, their higher fees and the uncertain re‑licensing status from the Food and Drug Administration have added to the anxiety.

Miranda criticized the hospital administration for not relocating the blood bank to the ground floor, attributing the decision to FDA constraints, and questioned why no alternative provisions were made although surgeries continue uninterrupted . Acting medical superintendent Dr. Jayaraj Acharya declined to comment.

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