No prescription, No Donor- Just Cash: Blood Black market exposed in MP Hospitals

Bhopal: In a shocking revelation, a sting operation named 'Operation Blood' by a local media has exposed how patients in Bhopal are being forced to pay for blood, turning a life-saving resource into a commodity sold for profit.

Despite being one of the most basic and essential parts of medical treatment, blood has become part of the black market. This illegal trade is not limited to small setups but stretches across top government and private hospitals, cancer centres, and even the prestigious AIIMS Bhopal.

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The sting operation, carried out by NDTV over several weeks, found that patients and their families were routinely asked to pay money, not just at private blood banks but even outside major hospitals. Brokers, ambulance drivers, hospital staff, and even pan shop vendors are part of this informal but well-organised network.

The investigation was carried out at well-known healthcare facilities like Hamidia Hospital, Jai Prakash Hospital, Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital, Navodaya Cancer Hospital and the most prestigious institute - All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal. 

At Hamidia Hospital, the team found that blood could be arranged for cash without any prescription or proper check. It was sold under the name "arrangements." 

At Jai Prakash Hospital, the deals began even before the patients stepped in. In the parking lot, staff and auto drivers freely shared contacts of people who could "arrange" blood, for a price. One of them bluntly said, “Inside they ask for a donor, outside they ask for money.” But this help wasn't on a humanitarian ground, but instead it was to make money. 

At Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital, where patients battle terminal illnesses, blood was treated not as a necessity but as a commodity. A broker offered O-negative blood for Rs 4,050, the donor charge is Rs 3,000, and the cross-matching is Rs 1,050. The deal was ready, and delivery could be arranged at Hamidia, Red Cross, or anywhere else.

Similarly, at Navodaya Cancer Hospital, blood was being sold for Rs 3,000, or Rs 2,500 if the buyer went directly to the source.

Even at AIIMS Bhopal — one of India’s most reputed medical institutes — the sting found that blood could be arranged within minutes by paying brokers standing just outside the hospital. Two men, Raj and Vinod, waiting at the pan shop nearby, offered units for Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500. There was no requirement for an ID, no need to be a family member, and no questions asked.

"Say I'm your uncle. I've done this before," one donor casually said. Ambulance drivers, who are supposed to be life-savers, were found playing the role of middlemen. One driver promised to connect the team to a broker who quoted Rs 3,500 per unit.

Private blood banks in the city were following the same illegal trend. At New Bhopal Blood Bank, Manas, and Lifeline, blood was offered without needing a donor. The fixed rate ranged between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000. 

In one case, when the NDTV's undercover team pretended to be hepatitis-positive, they were still offered blood at Rs 2,500.

Across hospitals and blood banks, the message was clear that it didn’t matter who you were, what your medical need was, or whether you even had a donor. If you could pay, you could get blood.

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