26 June,2011 07:43 AM IST | | Priyanka Vora
The SBTC and the Directorate of Health Services is planning to begin an SMS service to make information regarding blood banks available within seconds
The next time you are faced with a medical emergency and are in desperate need for blood, don't panic.
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The State Blood Transfusion Centre (SBTC) and the Directorate of Health Services is planning to begin an SMS service to make information regarding blood banks available within seconds.
At present, when a patient is in need for blood, the hospital tries to arrange for blood by phoning various blood bank facilities which is a time consuming activity.
"Once the new system comes in place, a patient's relatives would be able to send a text message, and immediately get a list of blood banks in the vicinity that store the blood group they need. This way, they will be able to save time, and relatives will have to just go to the nearest centre and collect the blood units," said a senior official from the SBTC.
"Since this is a state-wide plan, in case the blood group is not available in the vicinity of the hospital where the patient is admitted, the SMS system will also offer options to relatives of blood banks in nearby cities from where blood can be easily transported," he added.
"Rare blood groups like AB negative are not easily available and in smaller cities, finding blood groups becomes difficult. In such times, this system will prove beneficial to relatives to arrange for blood," added another official from SBTC.
Dr Ravindra Sawant, heading the Lab Medicine, Kohinoor Hospital, said, "Making blood available to the right person at the right time what saves lives. In poly trauma patients, around 8-10 units of blood are required and even if the hospital has the blood group available, it can't always cater to the needs of all of its patients.
Sometimes, blood has to be arranged from other banks. The other option is to find a donor and then get the blood, which requires at least five hours."
The state Health Department has already drafted a proposal and is now waiting for funds to be allocated.
"Once we receive the funds, we will start installing the system and get a common number for the entire state.
Our website offers updated information on blood banks across the state and the blood types available, so we just have to link the data with the SMS system," an official from SBTC said.
