India, Oct. 31 -- The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's (NMMC's) First Referral Hospital in Vashi has sounded the alarm over a critical shortage of blood, raising concerns that the situation has already started affecting patient care. The shortage is not limited to rare groups but extends across all major blood types, officials said.

The shortage in the civic hospital's blood bank, which is the largest in the city, has begun to affect the patients and their families are being asked to arrange blood donors before starting treatment or performing surgeries. A patient's family member, speaking outside the hospital, said, "We were told to bring donors before my father's operation. It was terrifying to think his treatment could be delayed b...