Blood bank at civic hosp to shut down as bldg repairs start
The blood bank, located on the second floor, stopped collecting blood almost a month back. "However, as blood units can be stored for 35 days, we still have some units left in the hospital,'' said a civic official.
In early June, a structural audit classified the hospital as a C2A structure—that is, while the building is not dangerous, it's unsafe for continued use without major repairs and must be vacated for safety during the restoration process.
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The hospital's third floor has already been restored, and the second-floor repairs began a few weeks back. The staff was told the second floor would require six to eight months to be restored, prompting the authorities to partially shut down the blood bank.
Former Kalina corporator Tulip Miranda is concerned as patients in the H/East ward would now have to travel further—to the civic run Cooper Hospital in Juhu—for blood.
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While there are private blood banks located close to V N Desai Hospital, the costs are high for patients visiting the facility.
"There also is uncertainty over whether the blood bank will reopen post-renovation, and whether the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will issue a fresh license,'' said Miranda.
The 48-year-old hospital is widely used and has a busy gynaecology department as well as the spinal surgery unit in BMC's suburban hospital network.
"Patients who come for a Caesarean section or spine surgery need blood immediately. We cannot get it from a private hospital that is located far from the OT,'' said a doctor who didn't want to be identified.
Miranda said suggestions to shift the blood bank to the ground floor were ignored, with officials citing FDA restrictions on such a move. "Why were no alternative arrangements made, especially when surgeries continue to be performed daily?" she said.
When contacted, acting medical superintendent Dr Jayaraj Acharya said he didn't want to comment on the issue.
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