A unique project ‘Tele Blood Services' to network all blood banks in twin cities and elsewhere in the State and to prepare a database of blood donors to check the menace of ‘professional' blood donors is underway.
People in need of blood can soon call up 104 contact centre, which will have access to real-time information on availability of the blood stocks. The project envisages capturing of finger prints, photographs and issuing of permanent unique ID number for each donor who registers to donate blood voluntarily. In an attempt to check malpractices and role of brokers, recipients or representatives of the receiver will have to submit their fingerprints with the blood banks. All this data will be collected and maintained by for a maximum of 10 years.
“Public can just call 104 and access real-time data regarding the needed blood group. We are using the GPRS technology to guide the caller to reach the blood bank. Information will be updated 24 hours and 365 days. This is a unique project developed only in Andhra Pradesh. A trial run was taken up when ten blood banks in Hyderabad were networked,” said advisor to HMRI, Dr. P. Sangram.
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According to Dr. Sangram, the project, which moots computerised process of identification of donors through biometrics and networking blood banks, will effectively eliminate professional donors. “Worldwide, it is a trend that some of the major infectious diseases including HIV, hepatitis, syphilis and even malaria are transmitted through blood. Networking blood banks and using biometrics is the only way out. The results of the pilot project in Hyderabad were encouraging. This system will be introduced though out the State,” he said.