Bengaluru: Through a MoU which would be signed with 200 blood banks across the State, Bengaluru-based firm, iRelief services, have launched a mobile application which would inform patients and their relatives of the availability of blood when they tap their mobile phones. Bengaluru being the pilot city, the firm has already signed an MoU with seven blood banks in the city, among the ten blood banks that have tied up with the service provider.
“It is going to make emergency services as easily available as an Uber or Ola -- with just a click. We are working along with the Government, which will provide us with all the data to be made accessible to the patients any time through this user-friendly interface,” says the Chief Operating Officer of iRelief, Raghavendra Prasad. He says that they intend to reach out to other cities and districts across Karnataka in a phased manner. The application would provide location-based emergency services and the families can track the movement of the ambulance as well. The application would also provide pre-arrival instructions to the casualty department of the hospital. The application will indicate real-time availability of blood components with the optional delivery of blood units. The first-of-its kind in the state, the app provides location-based information integrated with all the vendors. “Other apps have a donor database who may or may not agree, but here the main thing is the real-time availability at all the blood banks,” informs Raghavendra Prasad, COO of the iRelief.
People need to download the iRelief app from the Google play store and install it on their mobile phone. “Apart from giving you information about the blood availability, the app also allows you to put in a demand for a specific type/group of blood, which will be delivered to you at your residence. The app also has a databank of blood donors. The moment you place an order for a unit of blood, iRelief alerts the voluntary donors. The identity and privacy of the donors are guarded while giving you the service,” he adds.
“The health department has shared the database of 200 Blood banks (both government and private) which is available on www.drugnic.in and the Jeev Sanjeevani website to iRelief to help increase its reach to patients in need. It has fixed a cost of only '30 for connecting and confirming the supply of blood to the patient in the hospital in question. The app, however, can be downloaded for free,” said Dr Shalini Rajneesh, Principal Secretary, Department of Health, at the launch.
The Blood banks would be given a provider app and when a customer taps the home screen seeking information, the nearest blood banks will be visible and the 'PUSH' notification would go to the Bloodbank, who can respond with a 'Yes' and ask the patients to collect the said component.
