Mangalore : With the demand of the Indian Red Cross Society Dakshina Kannada unit to distribute common blood bank cards to the blood donors pending since long time, Deputy Commissioner and IRCS district President A B Ibrahim said that he would convene a meeting and decide on distributing the cards.

He was chairing the annual general body meeting of IRCS district unit at his office on Saturday. Nagarika Hitharakshana Vedike Convener and IRCS Blood Bank Committee Member Hanumanth Kamath said that the decision on distributing common blood bank cards was taken by the previous deputy commissioner N Prakash, but it was not implemented as he was transfered after sometime.

Distribution of common cards will enable the blood donors to get the blood in any private hospital, though if they have donated blood in some other blood bank. He also alleged a hospital of charging an exorbitant rate of Rs 2,500 for a unit of blood, despite the IRCS district unit passing an order to fix the rate at Rs 700.

733 units of blood
The district unit bags the credit of issuing 733 units of blood free of cost to poor patients admitted at the Government Lady Goschen Hospital, during this year (April 2013 to March 2014), said Society Vice Chairman Ronald Anil Fernandes. It had collected 1,174 units of blood in the said period.

Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman explained the difficulties faced by the Society to maintain Help Desk set up at Lady Goschen Hospital premises to help patients visiting the hospital. The Help Desk was opened two years ago with an intention to assist the women who come to the hospital in filling application forms and guide them. However, the deputy commissioner, who is also the president of IRCS district unit, said that he would take steps to continue her services. Hanumanth Kamath also suggested to seek financial help from corporate companies like ONGC or MRPL under corporate social responsibility, to run the Help Desk.

While IRCS Managing Committee Member Vishnumuthy suggested to provide an opportunity to IRCS to organise Karavali Utsav to collect funds for the society, another member Dinesh Rao suggested that the district administration set aside an amount in the Karavali Utsav collection, for its smooth functioning.

DK IRCS launches website
Dakshina Kannada IRCS launched its website on Saturday. The website www.redcrossdk.org designed by Prakash D’Souza, Founder of Pace Soft, comprises information about the IRCS, district office-bearers, activities, list of blood donors etc. Along with online donor registration, the website also allows for sending an online request for blood. Though the district unit had launched a website two years ago, it was static website while the new website is dynamic.

“In a dynamic website, anybody can update information from any part, but it has to be approved by the person who is in-charge of it,” he said. D’Souza was felicitated for developing the website free of cost. Senior most members of IRCS district unit, Captain Ganesh Rao and Gladis Rego launched the website, along with DC A B Ibrahim.

IRCS district Chairman Prabhakar Shriyan was present. DH News