NAVI MUMBAI, 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 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 because of a lack of blood." The hospital caters to a wide range of patients-thalassemia cases, accident victims, cancer patients, and maternity emergencies-all of whom require a steady supply of blood, said Sarita Kherwasiya, medical social worker at the hospital. "Because of the festive break, blood donation camps have reduced," she said, requesting citizens to donate blood....