Liza Sinojia
For daijiworld.com

Mangaluru, Jun 14: On World Blood Donor day, Dakshina Kannada district unit of Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) has announced that it will flag-off ‘Blood Donation Bus’ that will reach out to the volunteer donors in the city and even those in the remote corners of the district to collect blood.

IRCS feels that the ‘Blood Donation Bus’ will be another supplement effort by it to reduce the gap of demand and supply of blood group by connecting donors and recipients. Besides, IRCS says that the blood bank bus is aimed at making the process of blood donation quicker and comfortable.

File Photo

Speaking to daijiworld, the chairman of IRCS in Dakshina Kannada, C A Shantaram Shetty said that there are certain regions, circumstances or blood groups that have reported shortfall. "For instance, globally only 7 percent of the people have O-(negative) blood group, so there may be regular dearth of the same to the patients or victims at critical moments. Therefore, we are always trying to reach out to the maximum donors, so that we can track a particular blood group and meet the demands," Shantaram Shetty adds.

Priced at Rs 58 lac, the ‘Blood Donation Bus’ is being fabricated by a bus body builder at Baikampady. It is jointly funded by IRCS and Rotary Global Matching Grant. "The high-tech bus will be equipped with all the facilities for collection, storage and transportation of blood of upto 50 units. It can accommodate 7-8 people, including doctors and other staff," Shantaram said.

The bus will travel across the permanent blood donation camps in the city where IRCS regularly operates. "Besides, we will soon come out with a schedule and a route map for blood collection in rural areas and dispatch the bus. Many people are known to refrain from blood donation due to concerns of hygiene and safety. The bus will surely restore confidence of such people in the process," IRCS official added.

According to IRCS, the bus can simultaneously collect blood from three patients at a time. Post the collection of blood, the staff will ensure its delivery to the respective blood banks. On pilot basis, IRCS says it will roll out a single bus across the district in less than two months.