JJ Hospital vs. Blood Bank: Campus Land Grab

The Sir JJ Mahanagar blood bank faces a demand for eviction from the JJ Hospital campus. Hospital authorities have been seeking the blood bank's departure for years to reclaim a 10,000-square-foot heritage building. This space is crucial for the hospital's planned expansion, which includes new departments such as emergency medicine, transfusion medicine, and geriatric medicine.

The JJ Hospital maintains its own blood bank to serve its patients and surgical needs. Hospital officials stated that the Mahanagar blood bank utilizes hospital premises and its brand name without offering any benefit, such as free blood for JJ Hospital patients. This lack of reciprocal support is a significant point of friction.

While the Mahanagar blood bank collects a substantial 25,000-30,000 bags of blood annually through its donation camps, the JJ Hospital's own requirement is 12,000-15,000 units. The hospital experiences a shortfall, partly due to overlapping donation camp activities. The blood bank official clarified that while surplus stock is provided to other agencies, free blood cannot be issued to JJ Hospital due to mandatory testing charges.

The blood bank charges government hospitals ₹350 per unit and private hospitals ₹1860, adhering to rates set by the National and State Blood Transfusion Councils. The dispute underscores a conflict over the use of hospital infrastructure and resources.