Kolkata Hospitals Ration Blood Supply After Closure of 11 Blood Banks
Times of India | 8 August 2026
Kolkata: A section of pvt hospitals and nursing homes in Kolkata is faced with a blood shortage in the wake of restrictions imposed on 11 pvt blood banks earlier this week. While most big ones have their own blood banks, others depend on some of the closed banks for supply. But many hospitals are now witnessing a sudden spike in demand, especially from hospitals that don’t have their own source and individual patients who had so far bought blood from the closed banks. Their reserves are depleting fast, they said, forcing them to ration supply.
There has been an indirect and ripple effect that could worsen if the banks are not opened in the next two weeks, said Ruby General Hospital chief manager (operations) Subhashish Datta. “We are grappling with a sharp rise in demand. While there are still enough stocks in our bank, there has been a sharp rise in demand from hospitals and nursing homes that source blood from us. We are having to ration the supply over the last two-three days. Kin of patients admitted in other hospitals are also queueing up. This has put a strain on our supply,” said Datta.
Peerless Hospital, too, has rationed supply in the wake of rising demand. “We have enough in our bank for now. Patients’ families are being asked to donate when they receive blood. Supply to external patients and other hospitals has been curtailed in the wake of a sudden rise in demand,” said Peerless Hospital CEO Sudipta Mitra. He added that if the crisis continues, Peerless will organise extra camps to meet the demand.
A south Kolkata hospital said that a blood crisis has started taking effect, though it is not affecting patients yet. “Our reserves are getting depleted fast,” said a hospital source.
The decline in supply is certainly a matter of concern, said Sajal Dutta, CMD , Desun Hospital. “We are not apprehending a crisis at this stage. Blood is a critical, life-saving resource that cannot be manufactured, and a sustained drop in donations may over a period of time impact emergency care, major surgeries, cancer treatment and maternal health services. At Desun, we are closely monitoring inventory levels to ensure judicious utilisation of available blood to meet patient needs. This also serves as a timely reminder that regular voluntary blood donation is a shared social responsibility and remains the only sustainable way to maintain adequate supplies,” added Dutta.
It could take at least a fortnight for the closure to have a more severe effect, said some hospital authorities. “We do source a part of our requirement from some of these banks. But we have enough stocks to last 15 more days. If the supply remains cut off even then, there could be a shortage. We are already planning alternatives,” said a representative of BP Poddar Hospital.
Others like Woodlands are screening the situation but are yet to be hit. “All three of our source banks are operating. But we are keeping a watch,” said CEO Rupak Barua.