Sourcing blood to get easier as facility goes online soon

M.P. Roonwal, whose eight-year-old son Prajwal was diagnosed with dengue, with a low platelet count last year, had a harrowing time getting the required blood component for his treatment in the city. After running from one blood bank to another, he managed to get two units from M.S. Ramaiah Blood Bank, and Prajwal soon recovered.

Such ordeals faced by patients, when their dear ones are battling for their lives, may become a thing of the past in two month’s time as the State Drugs Control Department has begun linking all the 184 blood banks and 162 storage units in the State.

State Drugs Controller Raghuram Bhandary told The Hindu on Tuesday that inter-linking of all the blood banks would give information on the inventory of blood at any given time. “If a hospital or an individual at a particular location is in need of a particular group of blood, it can be transported from wherever it is available to that particular location,” he said.

An online system is being worked out where continuous group-wise availability in all blood banks and storage units and stock-out position will be made available to people and hospitals in need of blood. “The banks and storage units will be initially linked to the Drugs Control Department’s website: www.drugs.kar.nic.in. It will eventually be connected to the State Health Department’s website,” he said.

Continuous update

He said all blood banks will be given strict instructions to continuously update the availability and stock-out position. “This is very important as the information available on the website will be a ready-reckoner for people,” Mr. Bhandary said.

The State requires over six lakh units of blood to meet the needs of patients every year. Although blood banks have by and large been able to meet this requirement, there is disparity in the availability of blood across the State.

The networking proposal that was mooted two years ago has been delayed because of lack of technical staff in the Drugs Control Department. The project has now been set into motion with the Principal Secretary (Health) N. Sivasailam having directed the department to complete it in two months.

The project has now been taken up with technical assistance from National Informatics Centre (NIC) and consultancy from the Karnataka Health System Development and Reform Project (KHSDRP).