Coming soon in state: Dial a blood bag

Mumbai: For stressed citizens whose near-and-dear ones are in hospital, soon, blood supply could be only a telephone call away. The state government is rolling out a blood-on-call service to break the stranglehold of private blood banks. 
    A pilot project will be launched in two districts and extended across the state, said public health minister Suresh Shetty. He didn't give a timeline. 
    The project plans that once a call for a particular blood type is received at a helpline, a worker on a bike will deliver it at the specified destination. Like pizza, blood will ride in on a bike 
Mumbai: Public health minister Suresh Shetty said the DF government will soon announce the launch of a project that will try to break the stranglehold of private blood banks, which often artificially inflate rates during emergency and help citizens get required blood after only a phonecall. 
    "Sometimes, hospitals ask patients' relative to arrange for blood. Blood banks tell them a particular group is not available.Consumerseven havehadto pay exorbitant amount to get a specified blood packages. To makebloodeasily available and prevent malpractices, the governmentisworking on a project, wherebloodwillbedeliveredon a phone call," Shetty said. "The schemewillbelaunchedon a pilotbasisin twodistricts." 
    Health department officials used the example of pizza delivery boys to explain the scheme. "A special helpline number would be set up for 'dial-a-bloodbag' project.The momentsomeone places a request for blood, a person on two-wheeler will deliver itblood atthedestination," asenior officialsaid. "Therewill be cold storage boxes fixed on the motorcyclesto maintain the required temperature for the blood asitisdelivered." 
    Doctors and NGOs welcomed the initiative. "The new system will help patients' relatives as they will not have to run around to get required blood," said Dr Jayashree Sharma, headof departmentof thetransfusion medicine department at KEM Hospital. But Vinay Shetty, vice-president of Think Foundation, an NGO working in the field of thalassaemia, said, "Many hospitals refuse to accept blood packs from banks. Willthe governmenttake action against them?" He accepted the move will help break the "alleged monopolies and cartel" of bloodbankstosomeextent. 
    According tostatestatistics, nearly 275bloodbanks arethere in Maharashtra and 11.5 lakh units of blood are annually collectedfrom donors. 
PLAN FOR BLOOD 'BUSINESS' 
Price control | Public health department has written to the Centre to cap the processing charges levied by blood banks 
Easy availability of blood | 
Making blood available on a phone call