The AIIMS blood bank has a registered database of only 100 people with rare blood groups, as submitted by the renowned institute following an RTI application.

More worrying, the RTI plea found, is the fact that this database is updated manually, and only once a year — every January. “What will happen if the register is lost? The institute does not have a back-up and the donor contact’s list is also not updated,” said Rahul Verma, who filed the RTI application.

As of June this year, the AIIMS blood bank has exactly 100 registered donors for rare blood groups (with Rh negative blood types). In response to the RTI, the institute has said there are 6 donors belonging to AB-negative blood group, 29 donors with A-negative blood group, 33 B-negative blood donors, 32 donors with O-negative blood group, and no donor belonging to Bombay blood group.

Replying to the RTI application on availability of rare blood groups, the institute said it had collected 3,310 units of blood this year till May 2008 through voluntary donation and 9,173 units by way of replacement donation.

“As a society, people in Delhi do not come forward for voluntary donation,” AIIMS Medical Superintendent Dr D K Sharma, “and few are motivated in registering themselves as donors in a blood bank. This requires a certain level of awareness and responsibility and motivation from the society; it (blood donation) cannot be forced on anyone.”