India Moves To Make Blood Bank Registration Mandatory, Plans Biometric Checks For Donors

Published 14 July 2026 · india

India Moves To Make Blood Bank Registration Mandatory, Plans Biometric Checks For Donors Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 14, 2026, 15:39 IST Doctors

India Moves To Make Blood Bank Registration Mandatory, Plans Biometric Checks For Donors Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 14, 2026, 15:39 IST Doctors say the shift from a voluntary to a mandatory framework could meaningfully improve how blood is sourced, tested, and distributed in India Rapid Read The letter also cited a December 2025 Jharkhand High Court order, passed after six patients were infected with HIV through contaminated transfusions, as proof of how urgent the reform is. (Pexels) For thalassemia or sickle cell anaemia patients who queue up every fortnight for a life-saving blood transfusion, the biggest fear has never been the needle; it is not knowing whether the blood is safe, or available at all. India’s top drug advisory body has now moved to plug exactly this gap. India’s top panel of experts, the Drugs Consultative Committee, has taken up a proposal to make registration of all licensed blood centres on the government’s e-RaktKosh portal mandatory. Also, it plans to make participation in External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS)—a system that checks whether blood banks are testing samples correctly—mandatory. The committee flagged a crucial gap in the current system.

As the minutes of the meeting seen by News18 note, “DCC was further informed that EQAS participation is recommended but lacks explicit enforceability under statutory provisions." In effect, quality checks have so far been voluntary, with no law forcing blood banks to comply. What Has The Panel Advised? To fix this, the panel “recommended making necessary provisions under the Drugs Rules for mandating the registration of blood centres on the e-Raktkosh portal", which would give the digital registry — until now more of a good-to-have — the force of law. The committee went a step further, recommending “the constitution of a sub-committee to discuss the modalities of EQAS and biometric authentication of the Blood donors in the Blood Centres/camps". If implemented, donors could soon be verified using biometric details such as fingerprints, a move aimed at preventing duplicate or fraudulent donor registrations. The DCC also asked that renewal applications for blood centre licences “should be attended timely to ensure the provision of renewed licenses", addressing complaints of delays that have periodically disrupted supply. Why The Move Matters Doctors say the shift from a voluntary to a mandatory framework could meaningfully improve how blood is sourced, tested and distributed in India.