Health and Me

Rachel V Thomas

India Sets Roadmap For Universal Access To Safe Blood By December 2026

ndia’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) today outlined a roadmap to ensure universal access to safe blood in every district by December 2026.

The government’s goal of ensuring timely access to safe blood is in line with the National Blood Policy and was reiterated during a high-level national review meeting with States and Union Territories. The meeting, held via video conference, assessed the preparedness of blood banks and transfusion services across 36 States and UTs in the country.

The review comprehensively assessed the status of blood transfusion services across the country, covering the five critical stages of service delivery: 

<ul><li>Licensing and Renewal;</li><li>Donor Screening and Blood Collection; </li><li>Testing for Transfusion-Transmitted Infections (TTIs) and referral/linkage of reactive donors; </li><li>Processing, Storage, and Issuance; </li><li>Reporting and Record-keeping.</li></ul>Performance was evaluated against a structured framework of 10 key performance indicators (KPIs), using data from eRaktKosh, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), Blood Bank Management System (BBMS), and inspection records of regulatory authorities.

According to the official statement by the Ministry, approximately 10 per cent of districts in the country currently do not have a blood center.

It also flagged other gaps in digital integration, with a significant number of blood centers yet to be onboarded on eRaktKosh and BBMS. This is limiting real-time visibility and monitoring, revealed the national-level meeting.

"While several states and Union Territories have demonstrated strong performance across multiple indicators, variability persists in areas such as district-level availability of blood centers, licensing compliance, voluntary blood donation rates, referral and linkage of TTI-reactive donors, component separation capacity, and real-time digital reporting," the review found.

Also read: <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/why-hemophilia-care-in-india-lags-behind-globally-expert-reveals-world-hemophilia-day-article-154101341" data-type="tilCustomLink">Why Hemophilia Care in India Lags Behind Globally, Expert Reveals: World Hemophilia Day</a>

<h2>Access To Safe Blood By 2026 End</h2>

Dr Rakesh Gupta, Additional Secretary (Public Health) and Director General, National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), reiterated the national goal of ensuring timely access to safe blood in every district, with zero transfusion-transmitted infections (TTI).

He emphasized "the milestone of establishing at least one blood center in every district by December 2026, in line with the National Blood Policy".

The review also noted encouraging practices in several states and Union Territories, including 

<ul><li>high levels of voluntary blood donation,</li><li>strong testing proficiency under External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS) </li><li>Effective referral and linkage mechanisms for TTI- reactive donors.</li></ul> Read: <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/from-hiv-to-hepatitis-b-how-reused-syringes-can-spread-deadly-infections-article-154107703" data-type="tilCustomLink">From HIV to Hepatitis B: How Reused Syringes Can Spread Deadly Infections</a>

The Ministry outlined a set of priority actions, which include:

<ul><li>strengthening district-level ownership and administrative convergence; ensuring 100 per cent licensing compliance of all operational blood centers; </li><li>enforcing standard operating procedures for blood collection and donation camps; </li><li>scaling up voluntary blood donation through structured outreach and awareness campaigns</li><li>adopting advanced testing protocols such as ELISA and CLIA-based screening</li><li>strengthening referral and linkage systems </li><li>100 per cent digital integration of blood services through eRaktKosh and BBMS, </li><li>The use of biometric donor identification under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission aims to improve traceability and efficiency.</li></ul>A time-bound action plan will be implemented in coordination with the National and State Blood Transfusion Councils, regulatory bodies, and organizations such as the Indian Red Cross Society. Progress will be monitored through monthly and quarterly reviews.

<h2>Advancing Blood Safety In India</h2>

According to data from the World Health Organization, India’s annual blood collection increased from 12.6 million units in 2023 to 14.6 million units in 2024. Voluntary blood donation accounted for 74.55 per cent of total collections, reflecting strong public participation and the impact of effective awareness campaigns.

In 2025, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel told the Parliament that the country has made significant strides in strengthening blood transfusion services and has ensured its safety and availability.

Patel said that the country has established a multi-tiered system to ensure safe and efficient blood transfusion services. These include measures such as mandatory testing for five TTIs, expansion of Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT), proposed capital blood centers, National External Quality Assessment (EQA) program expansion, and transition to a community-based approach.

While the government has placed a complete ban on professional blood donation, every unit of collected blood undergoes mandatory testing for five transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) — HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis, and Malaria, Patel said.

Health Conditions A-Z

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Access to safe blood

blood safety

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nucleic acid testing

hepatitis c

ayushman bharat digital mission

national blood policy

national aids control organization

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ndia’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) today outlined a roadmap to ensure universal access to safe blood in every district by December 2026. The government’s goal of ensuring timely access to safe blood is in line with the National Blood Policy and was reiterated during a high-level national review meeting with States and Union Territories. The meeting, held via video conference, assessed the preparedness of blood banks and transfusion services across 36 States and UTs in the country. Current Gaps The review comprehensively assessed the status of blood transfusion services across the country, covering the five critical stages of service delivery: Licensing and Renewal;Donor Screening and Blood Collection; Testing for Transfusion-Transmitted Infections (TTIs) and referral/linkage of reactive donors; Processing, Storage, and Issuance; Reporting and Record-keeping.Performance was evaluated against a structured framework of 10 key performance indicators (KPIs), using data from eRaktKosh, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), Blood Bank Management System (BBMS), and inspection records of regulatory authorities. According to the official statement by the Ministry, approximately 10 per cent of districts in the country currently do not have a blood center. It also flagged other gaps in digital integration, with a significant number of blood centers yet to be onboarded on eRaktKosh and BBMS. This is limiting real-time visibility and monitoring, revealed the national-level meeting."While several states and Union Territories have demonstrated strong performance across multiple indicators, variability persists in areas such as district-level availability of blood centers, licensing compliance, voluntary blood donation rates, referral and linkage of TTI-reactive donors, component separation capacity, and real-time digital reporting," the review found. Also read: Why Hemophilia Care in India Lags Behind Globally, Expert Reveals: World Hemophilia DayAccess To Safe Blood By 2026 EndDr Rakesh Gupta, Additional Secretary (Public Health) and Director General, National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), reiterated the national goal of ensuring timely access to safe blood in every district, with zero transfusion-transmitted infections (TTI). He emphasized "the milestone of establishing at least one blood center in every district by December 2026, in line with the National Blood Policy". The review also noted encouraging practices in several states and Union Territories, including high levels of voluntary blood donation,strong testing proficiency under External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS) Effective referral and linkage mechanisms for TTI- reactive donors. Read: From HIV to Hepatitis B: How Reused Syringes Can Spread Deadly Infections Priority ActionsThe Ministry outlined a set of priority actions, which include:strengthening district-level ownership and administrative convergence; ensuring 100 per cent licensing compliance of all operational blood centers; enforcing standard operating procedures for blood collection and donation camps; scaling up voluntary blood donation through structured outreach and awareness campaignsadopting advanced testing protocols such as ELISA and CLIA-based screeningstrengthening referral and linkage systems 100 per cent digital integration of blood services through eRaktKosh and BBMS, The use of biometric donor identification under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission aims to improve traceability and efficiency.A time-bound action plan will be implemented in coordination with the National and State Blood Transfusion Councils, regulatory bodies, and organizations such as the Indian Red Cross Society. Progress will be monitored through monthly and quarterly reviews. Advancing Blood Safety In IndiaAccording to data from the World Health Organization, India’s annual blood collection increased from 12.6 million units in 2023 to 14.6 million units in 2024. Voluntary blood donation accounted for 74.55 per cent of total collections, reflecting strong public participation and the impact of effective awareness campaigns. In 2025, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel told the Parliament that the country has made significant strides in strengthening blood transfusion services and has ensured its safety and availability. Patel said that the country has established a multi-tiered system to ensure safe and efficient blood transfusion services. These include measures such as mandatory testing for five TTIs, expansion of Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT), proposed capital blood centers, National External Quality Assessment (EQA) program expansion, and transition to a community-based approach. While the government has placed a complete ban on professional blood donation, every unit of collected blood undergoes mandatory testing for five transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) — HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis, and Malaria, Patel said.