The National Informatics Centre is gearing up to sign an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (APSacs) to build a state-wide universal blood portal. When it goes live, the website will bring together the more than 250 voluntary and government-run blood banks under one umbrella.
“We want to move towards a centralised system where interlinking of data is made possible, data is updated promptly and a dedicated call centre is put in place. We also want to use social media as a channel to enable people to get blood easily,” said Dr Sujatha, blood safety division, APSacs.
“The new portal will be initially SMS based, to help people from villages as well. But gradually, we will include social networks and integrate them for our benefit,” added Dr Sujatha. Though this has been a relatively late development, it is a welcome move, say city blood bank managers. “The centralised portal will be of great help. As of now, people find it difficult to source blood in their vicinity, often having to travel far,” said Krishna Rao, administrator, Chiranjeevi Blood Bank. Rajat Agarwal, project in-charge of Initiative for Better Blood Banking, Sankalp India Foundation, said, “There is no single user-friendly web portal yet for blood seekers. It is mostly volunteer-driven, pressed for funds, and the call centres are understaffed. Often, it is just a couple of dedicated people who update blood stock, and maintain contact information of donors.”
Yet, most voluntary associations break up due to paucity of funds, scarcity of staff or inadequate awareness. Centralising data ought not to become an end in itself, for, as Rajat Agarwal pointed out, “Centralising the donor information base itself will be a regressive step” because localised data maintenance will be much more effective and easier. What needs to be centralised is the blood quantities available at all centres across India, just like a stock exchange, updated continuously.