Introduction: A lot of diversity is present in a vast country like India in relation to race, religion and creed. Similar to it the geographical distribution of ABO and Rhesus blood groups varies across the country. This study was done to examine the distribution of blood groups among voluntary blood donors in a rural hospital in central India. Methods: A retrospective study was performed over 5 years (from January 2012 to December 2016) at Blood Bank of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sewagram, Distt. Wardha, Maharashtra, India to determine and compare the distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups. The ABO and Rhesus (D) blood grouping was done by tube method using venous blood samples. Results: The predominant donors belonged to age group between 26-35 years (50.69%). Male donors were more than female donors (98.78%). The commonest ABO blood group was O (34.46%) followed by B (32.50 %), A (24.98 %) and AB (8.05%) respectively. The prevalence of Rhesus positive and negative distribution in the studied population was 96.76% and 3.23% respectively. Conclusion: The commonest ABO blood group in our study was O followed by B, A, and AB respectively. The knowledge of the distribution of blood group in a particular geographical area is very important for blood banks. Transfusion services play an important role in the patient’s health care.

Keywords: ABO Rhesus (D) Blood Groups; Blood Donors; Blood Bank.