BLOOD DONATION
THE GOAN Network
PANAJI
As we all know, June 14 is celebrated as ‘World Blood Donor Day globally, an initiative taken up by the World Health Organisation to generate awareness for the availability and appropriate use of safe blood and the need for many more people to voluntarily donate blood.
Millions of people around the globe need blood transfusions each year. In times of panic, one can now reach out to Panic Button – a blood donor app launched in Goa recently. Even though the percentage of blood donors is high in Goa, the shelf life of the donated blood can infringe the prospects of helping out blood receivers in times of emergency or when there is an urgent need.
The blood expiry period is between 21 days to 42 days depending on the anti-coagulant added to it. After expiry, the blood has to be incinerated and this takes place quiet often and leads to a huge loss of this valuable asset.
The use of the Panic Button app will make sure that, every drop of blood donated by the donor will not be futile, but save a precious life.
Taking into account the huge waste of this precious resource, SID International conceptualized the blood donor app - Panic Button. This app will provide the donor and the receiver a more convenient platform to connect and it will allow the donor to donate blood during genuine crisis, thus averting the wastage of blood. There are four main blood types: A, B, AB and O. Type O and AB are in short supply. One of the most uncommon blood groups with only 7 per cent of the people living in India having this blood type is O negative.
The Panic Button app will help people in need of blood in situations like: accident and burns victims, cancer patients, those undergoing surgery and people with bleeding disorders like haemophilia etc. The Panic Button app aims to benefit the receiver and the donor by making the most efficient use of the vital resource of blood.
