India, Oct. 28 -- The city is grappling with a shortage of blood with very few donation camps held during the festival period, said officials.

According to the officials, of the 373 blood banks registered with the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC), 57 (public and private) are in Pune district. Hospitals and prominent blood banks like Metro Blood Bank, Sassoon General Hospital, Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital, KEM Hospital, Jehangir Hospital and Bharati Vidyapeeth, amongst others are facing shortage of blood.

Ram Bangad, founder, NGO Raktache Nate, said, "While the festive period saw less camps, few donors took part. We are getting several calls from patients and hospitals inquiring about blood donation camps."

Blood banks fac...