National Blood Transfusion Service - Sri Lanka

What National Blood Transfusion Service - Sri Lanka does

The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) of Sri Lanka is the government-mandated national authority responsible for collecting, testing, processing, and distributing blood and blood products across the country. Operating under the Ministry of Health and headquartered at the National Blood Centre in Narahenpita, Colombo, NBTS runs more than 108 blood banks island-wide and supplies all government hospitals and most private hospitals. It maintains a 100% voluntary non-remunerated blood donation programme, with roughly 85% of the national supply collected through approximately 5,000 mobile donation campaigns organised annually.

The service is supported by a portfolio of digital information systems including the Blood Bank Management System (BBMS), a Haemovigilance system, Statistics and Swastha platforms, and the Praana stem cell donor registry (rebranded from SLSCDR in October 2024). Complementary digital products include the Raktha mobile application for donors and the Sri Lanka Bone Marrow Transplantation Registry. Operational units cover quality management, education and training (ETRU), and a health information unit, with services benchmarked to international standards (WHO Collaborating Centre status, AABB Quality Certificate, ISO 15189:2022).

NBTS is funded through Sri Lankan government healthcare budgets rather than commercial pricing, and the service is provided to patients at no direct cost. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Strategic priorities in the 2024-2026 period have emphasised expanding the blood bank network into underserved provinces, broadening into cellular therapies via the stem cell and bone marrow registries, and reinforcing regional standing through WHO and AATM partnerships.

Name

National Blood Transfusion Service - Sri Lanka

Legal name

National Blood Transfusion Service - Sri Lanka

Website

https://nbts.health.gov.lk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

NBTS Sri Lanka is the government-mandated national blood transfusion service under the Ministry of Health, operating 108+ blood banks island-wide. It supplies blood and blood products to all government hospitals and most private hospitals, maintaining a 100% voluntary donor programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Healthcare Blood Transfusion Services

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991)

akta.pro primary industry

Transfusion Medicine & Immunohematology (Blood Bank) (HLAFAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Blood Bank/Transfusion Medicine LIS (HLACAMAE), Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Blood transfusion services
• Voluntary blood donation
• Stem cell donor registry
• Haemovigilance monitoring
• Mobile blood donation

Headquarters

HQ city

Narahenpita, Colombo

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Healthcare Funding: NBTS operates as a government-mandated national service under the Ministry of Health, funded by government healthcare budgets. The service provides blood and blood products to all government hospitals and most private hospitals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NBTS is the sole national provider of blood and blood products in Sri Lanka, operating 108+ blood banks island-wide to collect, test, process, and distribute safe, quality-assured blood and components (whole blood and apheresis platelets) to all government hospitals and most private hospitals. The service also maintains the Praana stem cell donor registry and the Sri Lanka Bone Marrow Transplantation Registry, supported by mobile blood donation campaigns that collect 85% of the national supply and complemented by the Raktha mobile application for donor engagement.

Product overview

National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) Sri Lanka operates as a centrally coordinated government healthcare service under the Ministry of Health, serving as the sole provider of blood and blood products to all government hospitals and most private hospitals. Headquartered at the National Blood Centre (NBC) in Colombo, NBTS operates more than 108 blood banks island-wide. The service portfolio centers on core blood transfusion operations including whole blood and apheresis platelet collection through fixed blood banks and mobile donation campaigns (accounting for 85% of supply), complemented by supporting units for education and training (ETRU), haemovigilance, quality management, statistics, and health information systems. The Praana stem cell donor registry extends services to bone marrow transplantation support. Key digital tools include the Blood Bank Management System (BBMS), Raktha mobile application, and various health information platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PRAANA (SLSCDR): Sri Lanka Stem Cell Donor Registry - a nationwide effort to recruit potential stem cell donors, rebranded as Praana in October 2024.

Products and services

• Blood and Blood Products Collection and Distribution Core blood transfusion service providing safe, quality-assured blood and blood components (whole blood and apheresis platelets) to all government hospitals and most private hospitals in Sri Lanka through a network of 108+ blood banks island-wide.
• Mobile Blood Donation Campaigns Organized local and national mobile blood donation campaigns promoting voluntary blood donation, with 85% of island-wide blood supply collected through mobile campaigns across Sri Lanka.
• Praana (Sri Lanka Stem Cell Donor Registry) National stem cell donor registry recruiting potential stem cell donors for patients with blood disorders and cancers requiring bone marrow transplantation. Operated as Praana following the October 2024 rebrand from SLSCDR.
• Raktha Mobile Application Mobile application for blood donors launched during World Blood Donor Day 2024 to facilitate donor engagement, donor registration, and blood donation management.
• Sri Lanka Bone Marrow Transplantation Registry National registry launched to facilitate bone marrow transplantation services for patients requiring stem cell transplants in Sri Lanka.
• Education, Training and Research Unit (ETRU) Enhances knowledge, skills, and professional competencies of blood bank personnel through Continuous Professional Development, in-service training, and research initiatives in transfusion medicine.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of blood supply collected through mobile blood donation campaigns
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Asian Association of Transfusion Medicine (AATM)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 December 2026NBTS hosting XXI Annual Congress of AATM on 14th and 15th December 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• Manusath DerenacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2024Partner in rebranding SLSCDR to Praana (Sri Lanka Stem Cell Donor Registry) to increase awareness and expand stem cell donor recruitment island-wide.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 September 2024NBTS redesignated as WHO Collaborating Centre for Blood Transfusion Services for 3 years from September 2024. Contributes to regional capacity building, training, and knowledge exchange in transfusion medicine. Only WHO CC within Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka.
• College of Transfusion PhysicianscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for organizing World Blood Donor Day events and professional development in transfusion medicine.
• National STD/AIDS Control Programme (NSACP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on donor screening and public awareness regarding sexually transmitted diseases impact on blood safety.
• Anti Malaria Campaign (AMC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on malaria update and its impact on blood transfusion safety, with role in community surveillance and education.
• National Blood Council MaldivesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHO-supported study tour where Maldives team learned about NBTS voluntary blood donation system and national blood transfusion service management. Maldives plans to establish nationally coordinated blood transfusion service.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• National Blood Transfusion Council (India, NACO): India's apex policy body for blood transfusion services under the National AIDS Control Organisation. Comparable as a national-level coordinating authority for blood transfusion policy and infrastructure within a large South Asian geography.
• Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service: Hong Kong's sole blood collector and supplier to public/private hospitals under a voluntary non-remunerated donor model. Comparable as an Asian regional blood service operating under similar WHO-aligned quality frameworks.
• Singapore Blood Services (Health Sciences Authority): Singapore's national blood banking authority under HSA, supplying public hospitals with voluntary-donor-collected blood products. Comparable as an Asian government-mandated national blood operator with strong quality accreditation focus.
• National Blood Centre, Thai Red Cross Society: Thailand's national blood centre within the Thai Red Cross, providing the majority of the country's blood supply through voluntary donation. Comparable as a South-East Asian regional blood service of similar institutional scale to NBTS.
• Japan Red Cross Society Blood Services: Japan's principal blood collection and supply operator, providing the majority of the country's blood supply through voluntary donation. Comparable as an Asian regional peer with hospital-distribution mandate and WHO-aligned quality standards.
• Pusat Darah Negara (National Blood Centre, Malaysia): Malaysia's national blood centre operating under the Ministry of Health with hospital supply mandate and voluntary donation focus. A regional Asian peer with comparable government-mandated national service structure.

Direct peers

• American Red Cross Blood Services: Largest US blood collection and distribution organization, supplying ~40% of the national blood supply. Comparable as a large-scale voluntary-donor-driven blood operator with mobile campaign intensity similar to NBTS's 5,000 annual drives.
• Australian Red Cross Lifeblood: Australia's national voluntary blood collection service. Operates fixed donor centres and mobile collection drives (similar85%+ mobile-supply model) and supplies public/private hospitals under a nationally coordinated system comparable to NBTS.
• Canadian Blood Services: Canada's national, non-profit blood operator funded by provincial health ministries. Directly comparable as a publicly-mandated national blood service with hospital distribution, voluntary donor model, and regulatory quality accreditation framework.
• NHS Blood and Transplant: The UK's national blood and transplantation service. Closest functional peer — operates a centrally coordinated national blood collection, processing, and distribution network supplying public hospitals, with regulatory mandate analogous to NBTS Sri Lanka.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nationalbloodtransfusionse6740
• Facebookweb.facebook.com/nbts.srilanka
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nbts-srilanka

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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