DGHS Strengthens Prevention of Ineligible Donors With an Additional Biometric Verification Step

Blood transfusion is one of the most frequently performed medical procedures worldwide and remains a vital pillar of modern healthcare. From emergency care and surgeries to oncology, maternal health, and chronic disease management, safe blood transfusion directly impacts patient outcomes and survival.

Because transfusion involves the direct transfer of biological material from one individual to another, ensuring that only eligible donors are allowed to donate blood is a critical public health responsibility.

The Persistent Challenge of Ineligible Blood Donors

Despite established donor screening processes, blood centres continue to face a systemic challenge: donation by ineligible donors.

Ineligible donors typically include:

• Donors with a history of reactive results

• Permanently deferred donors who are not reliably identified across centres

• Temporarily ineligible donors donating before recommended intervals or while unwell

Field experience and industry data suggest that ineligible donors account for nearly 4–5% of total blood collection. While this may appear to be a small percentage, its impact is significant when viewed at scale.

Why Ineligible Donations Matter

Donation by ineligible donors has consequences that extend beyond compliance:

• Patient safety risks, particularly when reactive or low-quality blood components enter the system

• Occupational exposure risks for phlebotomists and healthcare staff

• Wastage of consumables, including blood bags, reagents, and staff effort

• Increased operational burden on blood centres managing avoidable reactive collections

Crucially, these risks originate before blood collection—making them largely preventable with the right safeguards in place.

The Case for Prevention at the Point of Registration

Most downstream controls in blood transfusion—such as laboratory testing and quality checks—occur after blood has already been collected. By that stage, consumables have been used, staff time expended, and potential exposure events initiated.

This highlights a key principle in transfusion safety:

The most effective safety control is preventing ineligible donors from donating in the first place.

Reliable donor identification and eligibility verification at the point of donor registration play a decisive role in achieving this preventive approach.

DGHS Guidance: Adding an Additional Verification Layer

Recognising the importance of preventive controls, the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), in its January 2026 communication, issued guidelines to strengthen the prevention of ineligible blood donors by introducing an additional biometric or facial verification step during donor identification and registration.

This guidance reflects a broader shift toward:

• Objective, system-driven donor identification

• Consistent enforcement of eligibility rules

• Uniform practices across blood centres and outdoor donation camps

By adding an additional verification layer, blood centres can significantly reduce the likelihood of ineligible donors entering the donation process.

Benefits Beyond Compliance

Introducing biometric-based donor identification as an additional step offers benefits that go well beyond regulatory alignment:

• Enhanced patient safety through prevention of ineligible donations

• Improved staff safety by reducing unnecessary exposure

• Reduced wastage of consumables and reagents

• Better utilisation of counselling and screening resources

• Stronger public trust in blood transfusion services

Most importantly, it enables blood centres to move from a reactive model to a preventive, system-driven approach to donor safety.

A Meaningful Step for Public Health

Ineligible donors may represent only a small fraction of total collections, but their impact is disproportionately large. Addressing this challenge requires controls that operate before blood collection begins, not after problems have already occurred.

The DGHS guidance on introducing an additional biometric verification step is therefore a timely and meaningful move toward strengthening transfusion safety in India.

By reinforcing preventive identification and eligibility checks at the first point of donor interaction, blood services can better safeguard patients, healthcare workers, and the integrity of the blood supply.