In a significant step towards strengthening veterinary healthcare ecosystem, Government has released India’s first-ever national guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for animal blood transfusion and blood banks. Issued by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, the guidelines provide a structured framework for a practice that is globally recognized as life-saving but has so far remained unregulated in the country.
Blood transfusion is critical in treating trauma, severe anaemia, surgical blood loss, infectious diseases, and clotting disorders in animals. Until now, however, most transfusions in India were carried out during emergencies without proper donor screening, blood typing, or storage facilities. The new SOPs aim to address this gap by establishing scientific and ethical standards for donor selection, collection, storage, transfusion procedures, and safety protocols.
The guidelines were developed after extensive consultations with Veterinary Council of India, ICAR institutes, veterinary universities, state governments, and practicing veterinarians. They also align India’s veterinary practices with international standards.
Key provisions include the establishment of state-regulated veterinary blood banks with biosafety-compliant infrastructure, mandatory blood typing and cross-matching, defined donor eligibility criteria, and an emphasis on voluntary non-remunerated donations supported by a Donor Rights Charter.
The framework also incorporates One Health principles to manage zoonotic risks, introduces standardized checklists for monitoring and adverse reaction reporting, and outlines a roadmap for creating a National Veterinary Blood Bank Network with digital registries, real-time inventories, and an emergency helpline. Training modules on transfusion medicine will also be added to veterinary curricula and continuing education programs.
Release of these guidelines is expected to encourage innovation, including mobile blood collection units, cryopreservation for rare blood types, and apps for donor-recipient matching. With India home to over 537 million livestock and more than 125 million companion animals, the demand for advanced veterinary care is increasing rapidly. The livestock and animal husbandry sector already contributes 5.5% to the national GDP and over 30% to agricultural GDP, making it a cornerstone of rural livelihoods and food security.
The new guidelines are anticipated to transform emergency clinical practices, safeguard rural incomes, and promote animal welfare. Though advisory and non-statutory, the document will remain dynamic, evolving with scientific evidence and field experience while ensuring the highest standards of biosafety and public confidence in veterinary transfusion medicine.
