3 months after govt directive, FB yet to help hospitals find blood donors

The directive by the State Government to use the Facebook blood donation feature, apart from creating awareness, was aimed at helping the blood banks befriend the donors and be prepared for emergencies and also to make available blood of rare groups. 

Several government and private hospitals including Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tamil Nadu Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital, Government Royapettah Hospital and Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, Fortis Malar Hospital, Apollo Hospitals and others have started using the feature. 

“We usually have an adequate supply of blood from common groups. But, during emergencies, we either call up blood banks in other government hospitals or even ask volunteer donors who also maintain a donor registry. With Facebook, it has not been of much help as we get help from voluntary blood donors through acquaintances in case there is need for rare group blood or there is an emergency situation for more blood,” said Dr P Vasanthamani, Dean, Kilpauk Medical College.

The officials with blood banks say the initiative is targeted to bridge the gap between the donors and the blood banks. However, most of the hospitals find personal recommendations and contacts more helpful in getting donors. “We have organised many blood camps at the hospital itself to collect blood every month through voluntary donors.

The hospital is yet to get any volunteers or blood donors after making use of the particular feature on Facebook,” said Dr Mohan Kumar, consultant paediatrician, Institute of Child Health.

Even private hospitals say the feature has not helped them in any way. “Facebook is a very wide platform and we can find alerts even from other states. If it displays the nearby blood banks in particular, then it could be of some assistance.

As of now, the Facebook feature has been of very little help to our hospital blood bank,” said Dr Jyotsna Codaty, head of department, Transfusion Medicine, Fortis Malar Hospital, adding that hospital is still relying on personal contacts for the donations.

Dr K Kolandaisamy of the Directorate of Public Health said the blood donation feature on Facebook is a developing platform and people will adopt it when the situation warrants.