Now, you can donate blood on wheels

The hi-tech bus has essential facilities to collect, store blood

The National AIDS Control Organisation presented the bus to the State a yearago as part of its efforts to spread awareness on blood donation. PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

A mobile blood bank presented to the State by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) is traversing across the State facilitating blood banks to collect blood from donors.

Blood Mobile, the bus that is in Mysore from last week, has been visiting places across the district where blood donation camps are conducted. The hi-tech Blood Mobile is equipped with essential facilities, including refrigerators to store blood.

The NACO presented the bus to the State a year ago as part of its efforts to spread awareness about donating blood to save lives.

The blood collected from donors in camps is later deposited in local blood banks run by the government.

Four people can donate blood simultaneously inside the bus.

The air-conditioned bus is equipped with a refrigerator to store energy drinks for donors, besides television sets around the couches.

It has a public address system to facilitate the staff to make announcements about blood donations when it is on the move.

There is a large display screen outside the bus to transmit information on blood donation, besides a provision to display posters at the front with details on who can donate blood.

The Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society is operating the bus, which is allowed to be taken for blood donation camps organised by the Health Department or government blood banks or others on request.

S. Shivashankar, quality manager, Karnataka State Blood Transfusion Council, Bangalore, told The Hindu that the mobile blood bank is equipped to store 400 units of blood before they are deposited in local blood banks.

“Wherever facilities for collecting blood from donors are unavailable, the bus comes to the help of authorities. The blood is drawn from a donor in a safe and hygienic condition,” he said.

He said the mobile blood bank will travel to Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada throughout this month to support government-run blood banks. It will also spread awareness on blood donation among people.

B.S. Manjunath, Blood Bank Officer, K.R. Hospital, Mysore, said the bus, which was estimated to cost Rs. 2 crore, has been available for services in the district since Wednesday. It was taken to Nanjangud and Chamarajanagar where the camps were conducted.