A desperate call from a teacher seeking information on possible donors of blood of a specific group, in the dead of night almost a year ago, set Sai Akshara Vemuri thinking of a way to extend help during such emergencies to a larger number of people.
Being president of the Rotary Interact Club, Vijayawada, and a member of Red Cross (Juniors), Akshara realised that blood is a critical requirement for patients undergoing surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses and traumatic injuries. “The need for blood is constant, but only a few number of age-eligible people donate blood yearly,” says the Class XII student of Delhi Public School, Vijayawada.
Her collaboration with N. Sri Nandan, a like-minded senior, and their collective efforts resulted in ‘AP Red Cross Blood’, an app designed by the duo and launched recently by the Principal Secretary, Health, Medical and Family Welfare M.T. Krishna Babu, on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh chapter of Red Cross Blood Bank.
“By donating blood, one can be the reason for someone’s existence. Isn’t that great?” says Sri Nandan, explaining about the app that integrates all 18 Red Cross blood banks across the State.
The app comprises four panels — request for blood requirement, wish to donate blood, live donor request and organisation of blood donation camps.
The first panel (requesting blood) allows users to search for their nearest blood bank by selecting their respective districts before selecting the required blood group, which displays the available units of blood along with the contact number.
The second panel (donating blood) is for aspiring donors who should fill out a form with details such as their name, phone number, Aadhaar card number, email ID, address, city name and PIN code. The user should select the district and his/her blood group and specify if they are registering for a blood donation camp.
The ‘Live Donor Request’, a unique feature of the app, helps those in need to reach out to donors on call during an emergency case that requires fresh blood and not stored blood. The user has to fill out a live donor request form with the required details. The ‘organising blood donation camps’ section is for people who want to conduct blood donation camps to support the noble cause, the duo explains.
