India Launches Integration of Rare Blood Donor Registry with e‑Rakt Kosh to Ensure Faster and Safer Transfusions.

On June 21, 2025, the ICMR‑NIIH launched India’s first national Rare Blood Donor Registry, a monumental initiative targeting patients requiring frequent transfusions, such as those with thalassemia, sickle cell disease, hemophilia, and immunodeficiency disorders. The registry is now being integrated with e‑Rakt Kosh, the digital blood-bank platform managed by DGHS, to create a unified, real-time access portal for rare blood types.

      - The registry has screened over 4,000 O-group donors from major centres like Mumbai, Chandigarh, Kolkata, and Puducherry using molecular assays. It has identified more than 600 rare-antigen-negative donors, including approximately 250 classified as “very rare” and around 170 Bombay phenotype donors, which are in demand nationally (estimated need ~120–150 units/year). These profiles, along with other ultra-rare types such as P‑null and Rh‑null, have been catalogued via a web portal for easy requisition.

      - e‑Rakt Kosh, launched in 2016, already links approximately 3,800–4,000 licensed blood banks across India, enabling real-time inventory updates, donor coordination, and camp information through web and mobile interfaces. The integration flagging rare blood types within this unified platform will enable quicker donor discovery, improved patient matching, and proactive stock management by banks.

      - Patients stand to gain significantly from the integration: faster access to compatible rare blood, streamlined national-level search capabilities, and reduced risk of alloimmunization—critical for patients with multiple antigen mismatches. Alloimmunization rates are currently 8–18% in thalassemia cases, and this system is expected to mitigate such risks by incorporating minor antigen matching.

Main Point :-   (i) By digitizing the rare blood network, India can now move away from fragmented local searches toward a responsive, centralized infrastructure capable of mobilizing rare blood during emergencies—even on a cross-state or international level. Blood banks will receive centralized dashboards for monitoring rare blood stocks, donor availability, and real-time logistics coordination.

      (ii) Despite its promise, the initiative must overcome hurdles such as insufficient equipment for minor antigen typing, uneven digital connectivity across many blood banks, and shortage of trained personnel. To scale up nationwide, continuous investment in infrastructure, staff training, IT integration, and regulatory oversight will be essential to ensure all 4,000+ blood bank units are online and regularly audited.

(iii) The launch and integration of India’s first Rare Blood Donor Registry with e‑Rakt Kosh marks a transformational stride in the country’s transfusion framework. By placing rare blood visibility at the national level and enabling real-time match-making, this initiative promises faster, safer, and more equitable care for patients with rare blood needs. Continued support and expansion will ensure that no life is lost due to the unavailability of rare blood.