Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched the Indian Red Cross Society's 'eBloodServices' mobile App on Thursday. The app will help to minimize blood seeker's worries and bring transparency in the blood programme, strengthening the fight against COVID.
This application was developed by the 'e Rakt Kosh team' of CDAC (The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing). It will cater to the entire Delhi-NCR region for now.
Steps to use the app:
Download the app from your Android Playstore
Install the app on your device and allow it to access your location
Registration will be required for the first time
Fill up the required information (Mobile Number registration)
You will receive an OTP to validate your mobile number
After the registration, you will arrive at the dashboard where you can select services
To order the blood units, select the first option- Blood Request
Fill up the required information like the patient's name, blood group, required blood components and quantity required with a hospital name
Check the details of the blood bank location and number of units available
Then click on the confirm button if you are ready to collect it within 12 hours from the displayed blood bank
You will then receive the request confirmation on the app along with the time limit for it will be reserved
You will also receive an SMS
You can check the status of your request in 'all requests tab'
On the dashboard, you can check the blood availability in Delhi and across all red cross branches in India
Check out the video guide to use the app:
Once the request for blood units with the blood group is placed through the 'eBloodServices' App, the requisite units become visible to IRCS National Headquarter Blood Bank in its e-RaktKosh dashboard. This will allow assured delivery within the specified time, minimizing the blood seeker's worries & making it much easier for him/her to obtain blood.
"Once an order has been placed then the blood bank will keep the request active for 12 hours. The order will be diverted to the next patient only after the original recipient fails to collect it within 12 hours," said RK Jain, secretary-general, Indian Red Cross Society, at the launch event.
Talking about the app, at the launch event, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan said, “ I received several complaints over the past few months from people on lack of access to safe blood, especially from those people who need regular blood donation owing to their chronic blood disorders. It will be beneficially in these corona times when commutation has become a problem and those needing blood may not be able to go from one blood bank to another.” The minister also appealed voluntary blood donors to come forward in large numbers.
