India to Integrate Rare Blood Donor Registry with e-Rakt Kosh

In a crucial move aimed at improving healthcare access for patients with rare blood groups, the Central Health Ministry of India has announced plans to integrate the Rare Donor Registry with the national digital platform e-Rakt Kosh. Developed under the National Health Mission (NHM), e-Rakt Kosh provides real-time data on blood banks, availability of blood units, and donation camps across India. This integration is expected to save lives by making rare blood types easily traceable across states and blood banks.

Why in News?

The announcement follows efforts by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and its institute NIIH, which built a database of over 4,000 rare blood donors screened for more than 300 rare blood markers. With rare blood groups like Bombay, Rh-null, and P-null being hard to match, this centralized platform will significantly improve speed and safety of blood transfusions in emergencies.

What Is the Rare Donor Registry (RDRI)?

• Created by ICMR-NIIH and 4 partner institutes.
• Includes 4,000+ carefully screened donors.
• Tested for 300+ rare blood markers using multiplex PCR-based DNA kits.
• Supports transfusions for rare cases such as thalassemia, sickle cell, and multi-antigen mismatch patients.

About e-Rakt Kosh

• An initiative under the National Health Mission (NHM).
• Provides a centralized digital blood management system.

Displays

• Real-time blood availability
• Location and contact details of blood banks
• Upcoming donation camps
• Currently covers 1,100+ urban markets and 1,180+ villages across India.

Objectives of the Integration

• Wider reach of rare blood availability information.
• Faster matching for rare blood group patients.
• Reduce time, cost, and travel required to secure compatible blood.
• Ensure motivated donor participation and continuous blood stock updates.

Other Innovations by ICMR-NIIH

Developed rapid testing kits for,

• Sickle Cell Anemia
• Hemophilia A
• Von Willebrand Disease
• Brought down testing costs from ₹350 to under ₹50 per test.
• Projected savings of ₹1,857 crore to the government.
• Technology commercialized by Bhat Biotech under the brand name Bio-Scan in August 2023.

National Impact

• India has 1.4 lakh hemophilia patients, second-highest globally after Brazil.
• The integration and testing tech can reduce diagnostic delays and transfusion errors.
• Boosts self-sufficiency in rare blood and genetic disease diagnostics.
• Enables PHCs (Primary Health Centres) to conduct advanced blood tests.