Kerala’s new app to make blood donation easy: Details

Thiruvananthapuram: Health Minister Veena George said that a blood bank traceability application run using a centralised software will be launched to provide live information about safe and reliable blood units in the state. A portal too would be designed as part of this project for the public to access information about the availability of blood. Meanwhile, the government is trying to launch the portal by the end of this year. The minister said that details of blood banks across the state would be available to the public via this platform.

Blood storage units or blood banks are arranged at all hospitals in the state, including public health centres and super-speciality hospitals where deliveries and surgeries are held. Besides, the blood bank traceability digital technology that could observe and trace all stages of blood donation, from collecting blood to transportation and transfusion, has been launched. The Kerala Rare Blood Donor Registry, too, has been released as part of this project. The blood bank traceability app will further improve the efficiency of these facilities.

The project is envisaged and launched jointly by K–DISC, Kerala State AIDS Control Society, Blood Transfusion Council, and E-Health. It also aims to fulfil 100 per cent of voluntary blood donation campaigns in the coming years.

The Blood Bank Traceability Application is a centralised software platform that connects all blood banks. In addition to government-run blood banks, private blood banks are also linked to this software. It would ensure easy, safe, high-quality blood availability on a single platform. The blood bank traceability app will be launched at the general hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on an experimental basis starting this month. Authorities plan to launch the app all over Kerala after this experimental run.