India’s Rare Blood Donor Registry Integration with e-Rakt Kosh

The Central Health Ministry of India plans to integrate the Rare Donor Registry with e-Rakt Kosh, a national digital platform. This move aims to enhance healthcare access for patients with rare blood groups, making rare blood types easily traceable across states and blood banks.

Why is it Important?

The Rare Donor Registry integration with e-Rakt Kosh is a significant step towards improving the speed and safety of blood transfusions, especially for patients with rare blood groups like Bombay, Rh-null, and P-null.

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, and 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 diseases like Sickle Cell Anemia, Hemophilia A, and Von Willebrand Disease.
• Brought down testing costs significantly.
• 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.

Summary/Static Details

• Rare Blood Types Included: Rh-null, P-null, etc.
• Donor Database Size: Over 4,000 donors tested for 300+ rare markers.
• Key Benefits: Real-time access, reduced cost, faster matches, wider reach.
• Diseases Targeted: Thalassemia, Sickle Cell, Hemophilia A, Von Willebrand Disease.
• Estimated Govt Savings: ₹1,857 crore via cheaper test kits.
• Technology Partner: Bhat Biotech, Bengaluru.

Key Takeaways for Competitive Exams

• Integration of Rare Donor Registry with e-Rakt Kosh aims to improve healthcare access for patients with rare blood groups.
• Rare Donor Registry supports transfusions for rare cases like thalassemia, sickle cell, and multi-antigen mismatch patients.
• e-Rakt Kosh provides real-time blood availability information and covers numerous urban markets and villages across India.
• The integration’s objectives include wider reach of rare blood availability information and faster matching for rare blood group patients.
• ICMR-NIIH’s innovations in rapid testing kits have significantly reduced testing costs and can lead to substantial government savings.