Thiruvananthapuram: A total of 25,000 people have registered for blood donation in POL-APP, a mobile app of the Kerala Police.
If a request is made though the POL-APP, the police’s pol-blood control room would be contacted within seconds and voluntary blood donors would be made available. The feature was started in April for blood donation during emergencies.
ADGP K Padmakumar, who is in charge of the project, said that this was for the first time in the country that a police force has launched an official mobile app facility for blood donation.
How POL-APP functions
The POL-APP functions as a platform connecting the donor and recipient. The facility is in cooperation with the state AIDS Control Society.
Those who would like to donate blood can download the POL-APP, submit the details and register. Those who require blood also have to register on POL-APP along with the details of blood group, unit, hospital, blood bank and date.
Demand for 4 lakh units per year
Health Minister Veena George has said that an average of 4 lakh units of blood is needed in Kerala every year. This was 3.75 lakh units last year. While pointing out that only 70 per cent was met through voluntary blood donors, the Minister said that this should be increased.
Vaccine | Blood can be donated after 14 days
With the closure of blood donation camps due to the Covid pandemic, hospitals continue to face shortage. Once Covid cases dip, the surgeries, that were postponed earlier, would be held. And this would lead to an acute shortage of blood, according to doctors.
Those who have taken Covid vaccine can donate blood after 14 days. Also, those who have recovered from Covid can donate blood 28 days after testing negative, as per the government guidelines.
June 14 is observed as World Blood Donor Day.