Blood Online

The foundation has been,for the past two years,collecting details of willing donors in various parts of the city and co-ordinating them with prominent hospitals. “At present,we are mainly working with the Hinduja Hospital,Tata Memorial Hospital and Jaslok Hospital. We hope to expand our network to other major hospitals as well,” Barik says.

Barik,originally from Balasore in north Orissa,has now taken a break from his banking job to pursue work related to blood donation on a full-time basis. “A considerable number of people do donate blood as an act of charity,but they do not and cannot check in what manner their assistance is reaching the truly needy. That is why there is a need of an intemediary between donors and blood banks. The intermediary can fill this information gap.”

The organisation hopes to establish a fully functional helpline,which will be connected to all major hospitals in the city,in six months. At present,it is running a pilot project in co-ordination with select hospitals and it claims to have arranged for blood in emergency situations for over a hundred patients.

Barik is optimistic that a substantial number of people will register themselves on a centralised blood donation database. “There is no dearth of persons willing to donate blood. However,there are legitimate concerns on whether it is going in the right hands and whether it will come of use when the time comes. The process just needs to made easier and transparent. At present,about 3,000 people have registered for the pilot project. Hopefully,in six months,the number will go up to 30,000.”