To find a blood donor in emergency situations is a complex task, especially if the blood group is rare. To make the effort easier, the Indian Blood Bank Society (IBBS) has launched a web portal that would help to contact a donor and also for becoming a donor. The web portal www.indianbloodbank.com and the activities of the Kerala chapter of the IBBS were formally launched by Minister for Revenue Adoor Prakash at a function on Sunday. Society needs such people who set an example by humanitarian deeds, he said. There needs to be more awareness brought in for blood donation setting aside all the myths that continue to occupy people’s mind, said Mr. Prakash. Commenting on the main problem of waste management faced by Corporations and municipalities, Mr. Prakash, who till recently was the Minister for Health, said that the rainy season in June-July will be the biggest challenge in waste management as it would also create a health hazard. Even as modern day living gives little time for youngsters to be involved in humanitarian acts, it was heart-warming to find young people engaged in this affair of donating and arranging for blood for patients. The occasion was also to honour three individuals and an institution for their efforts in donating blood and arranging for blood for the needy patients. Actor Mohanlal gave the awards to Ranjith S. from Kollam, Ravindran Panamkoora from Kozhikode and T. R. Rajiv Menon from Ernakulam for their individual efforts and the NSS Cell of the NIT, Kozhikode, for their track record in conducting blood donation camps by an educational institute. Mr. Mohanlal, who is the brand ambassador for the IBBS, said that while receiving awards is an honour for the work done in any field, recognising the efforts of people in blood donation and other humanitarian deeds has an added value as it acts to motivate people in the society. The IBBS had been working here for some time now and it has a database of about 10,000 people on the website, said Sooraj P. Suresh, project manager. The website will be updated as more people join. The portal directs the users to register as a donor and help search for a donor too. If available, the facility helps provide a blood donor in the patient’s locality. The caller can find the profile of the donor with their contact details and can reach out by either sending an SMS, an e-mail or making a toll-free call by clicking on the options.
Source : The Hindu
