In a move that could significantly upgrade Mumbai’s public healthcare system, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is preparing to introduce component blood banks across six major civic hospitals.
The initiative, currently moving through the scrutiny stage, will allow these hospitals to separate donated blood into life-saving components such as plasma, platelets, and red cells, ensuring more efficient and targeted treatment for patients.
At present, most peripheral BMC hospitals rely on conventional blood banks that primarily collect, test and store whole blood. But medical protocols have evolved. Today, doctors rarely need whole blood; they require specific components based on the patient’s condition.
"With component blood banks, we’re finally giving patients exactly what their body needs. Instead of transfusing whole blood unnecessarily, we can use the right component for the right condition. It’s safer for the patient and far more efficient for the hospital,” a resident doctor from KEM hospital, a BMC-run civic hospital in Mumbai, tells THE WEEK.
A component blood bank allows a single blood donation to benefit multiple patients, which is a crucial advantage in high-burden hospitals where demand often outstrips supply. For instance, dengue patients might only need platelets, trauma patients may require red blood cells, while someone with liver disease may benefit most from plasma. Separating these components ensures every unit of donated blood is used optimally, reducing wastage and expanding access.
List of hospitals
According to officials familiar with the tender process, hospitals that have been allocated space to set up component blood bank facilities include Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar General Hospital, Kandivli, Seth V.C. Gandhi & M.A. Vora Municipal General Hospital, Ghatkopar, Kurla Bhabha Hospital, Kherwadi Bandra Bhabha Hospital, Shri Harilal Bhagwati Hospital, Borivli, Smt M.T. Agarwal Municipal General Hospital, Mulund.
Each centre has been allotted anywhere between 160sqm and 367sqm to house specialised infrastructure, including refrigerators, centrifuges, storage units, dedicated staff, and quality-control systems mandated by FDA guidelines.
Officials confirmed that nine bidders have shown interest so far. Their submissions are currently being vetted. The planned service contract is for 10 years, with an option to extend to 30 years based on performance.
A senior BMC official said the shift was long overdue, as the city continues to see high caseloads of dengue, trauma injuries, cancer treatments, and chronic illnesses that require precise blood components.
"Mumbai’s public hospitals see a high volume of trauma, dengue, cancer and obstetric emergencies. Relying only on whole blood is no longer practical. Component blood banks allow us to meet this demand more responsibly and ensure patients get exactly what they require, without delay.”
Medical experts argue that the shift to component-based transfusions is not just scientifically sound but essential in a city where seasonal spikes in dengue or malaria strain blood supplies.
Instead of giving a patient whole blood, an outdated practice in most modern hospitals, separating the blood ensures safer and more effective treatment. It also prevents complications: for example, giving whole blood to a patient who needs only platelets may overload the heart or cause unnecessary stress on already weakened systems.
Once approvals are finalised, these hospitals are expected to begin setting up specialised labs and cold-storage units. Officials said the project could be a major step toward decentralising blood services in Mumbai, reducing the load on centralised facilities and improving turnaround time for life-saving transfusions.
