Ganesh mandals across Pune have begun organising blood donation camps after a reported shortage reduced stocks at several private blood banks to about half their usual levels, with dengue cases rising ahead of the Ganesh festival.
The week-long campaign is expected to collect between 1,500 and 2,000 units of blood, according to information reported by Loksatta and attributed to sources involved in the campaign. Small and large donation camps are being planned across different parts of the city, with support from blood-donation activists and companies in the industrial sector.
The shortage has emerged at a time when hospitals are facing increased demand linked to dengue and chikungunya cases. The report also notes a growing requirement for platelets, which are often needed in the treatment of patients with severe dengue. Blood is also required regularly for thalassemia patients and for surgeries performed at hospitals across the city.
According to the report, blood collected through the campaign will be supplied to Sassoon Hospital, YCM Hospital, Jankalyan Blood Bank and other institutions. The participating mandals are coordinating the camps and collection effort as Pune approaches the annual Ganesh festival.
Blood stocks in Pune generally decline during the summer and before Diwali, when donation patterns and public participation can affect collection levels. Donation camps are usually organised during those periods to replenish supplies. This year, however, the reported shortage has appeared shortly before Ganeshotsav, when dengue and chikungunya infections are also being reported in the city.
The immediate requirement extends beyond whole blood. The report highlights demand for platelets as well as blood components needed for emergency treatment, planned surgeries and ongoing care. Hospitals and blood banks depend on regular donations because collected units have a limited shelf life and different blood components serve different clinical needs.
The campaign by Pune’s Ganesh mandals is intended to address the immediate shortfall through a concentrated round of donation camps. The planned collections will be distributed among designated hospitals and blood banks, including Sassoon Hospital, YCM Hospital and Jankalyan Blood Bank, as the city’s festival season approaches.
