The state food and drugs department of Gujarat launched a unique website that provides in real time the blood availability across every blood bank in the state down to the last detail. One just has to select the city or area from the drop down menu on the website and the website immediately lists the number of blood units present with individual blood banks of each blood group in real time. The website is developed by National Informatics Center (NIC). The website, apart from the blood banks, also provides information on sub-standard and spurious drugs declared by the FDCA in real time. “We found that many people are helpless when it comes to the locating blood banks with adequate blood supplies at the time of emergency. This readily available information will be of great help not only for government hospitals but also normal citizens,” says food and drug commissioner H G Koshia. Besides, the website also provides a detailed list of chemists along with their mobile numbers who stock life saving drugs. “The chemists list for life saving drugs wills be helpful for patients who look for medicines which are regulated by the drugs and cosmetics act,” Koshia added. The website also provides real time lab reports of substandard drugs that are tested by FDCA. If one enrolls with the website, one can get real time information on drugs that are deficient in its properties and have ordered to be removed from all chemists shelves. This section also provides information on as to why the drug was declared sub-standard.
Source : The Times Of India
