Thiruvananthapuram: In a bid to prevent emergency blood shortages in hospitals, the Kerala Blood Transfusion Council has launched the Rare Blood Donor Registry, a database of donors with rare blood groups in the state.

"Finding suitable blood matches is a major challenge in transfusion services. This registry has been introduced to address the issue and identify eligible donors," Kerala Health Minister Veena George said in a statement on Sunday.

The Rare Blood Donor Registry was officially launched at the National Conclave of Blood Transfusion Services in Kochi, which was attended by representatives from various states, she added.

The minister also stated that the Department of Central Blood Transfusion Services is planning to expand the registry nationwide.

The registry has been compiled after testing for several antigens. Currently, around 3,000 rare blood donors have been registered, with more donors expected to be added in the coming days.

AB negative is the rarest of the eight main blood groups. Other rare groups are Ro subtype and O negative.

The health minister announced that the service will soon be available across the state. The registry was prepared in coordination with state-run medical colleges in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Thrissur, and Kozhikode.

The Kerala State Blood Transfusion Council has designated the blood bank at the Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram as the state nodal center for the initiative.