Technical Glitches Plague e-RaktKosh Portal on World Blood Donor Day
Bhopal observed World Blood Donor Day on Sunday with volunteer blood donation camps across the city, but the government's e-RaktKosh blood availability portal encountered technical problems, preventing users from accessing real-time stock data for several key tertiary care hospitals.
The Union government-run e-RaktKosh portal listed approximately 30 blood banks linked to Bhopal district. However, AIIMS Bhopal and BMHRC were not searchable in the list. When contacted, a senior official stated that the matter would be investigated. The e-RaktKosh system is designed to function as a 24x7 searchable database of live blood availability, complete with contact numbers.
Blood Stock Levels Across Bhopal
Government blood centers across Bhopal reported varying stock levels. Larger government facilities maintained higher inventories, while some centers faced shortages.
Gandhi Medical College (GMC), the city's largest government blood bank located at Hamidia Hospital's Block 1, held 138 units of O-positive, 161 units of B-positive, and 110 units of A-positive blood as of the morning, with operational real-time stock updates.
In contrast, the District Hospital is still awaiting the installation of a component separation facility. Such equipment is crucial for efficiently processing donated blood into components like red blood cells, plasma, and platelets. Kasturba Hospital at BHEL also showed a "Not Available" status, with availability information not updated since April 20.
Private blood banks displayed moderate stocks. The Indian Red Cross Society Blood Bank at Shivaji Nagar, marked as "Live" with real-time updates, maintained 26 units of O-positive and 39 units of B-positive blood, among others.
WHO Theme and Call for Donations
The World Health Organization's 2026 World Blood Donor Day theme is "One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood." The day recognizes voluntary, unpaid blood donors and raises awareness about the need for regular donations.
Health officials urge eligible donors—those aged 18 to 65 and weighing at least 50 kilograms—to visit centers and donate blood.
