A groundbreaking initiative by the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA), the emergency Virtual Blood Bank (VBB), has facilitated life-saving blood transfusions for approximately 25,000 patients across the province within just five months of its launch.
The VBB, which expanded the scope of services offered through the police helpline 15, has seen an overwhelming surge in participation. The number of registered volunteer donors has ballooned from an initial 10,000 to nearly 70,000, demonstrating a powerful community response to the call for generosity. This includes a robust registry of 2,000 individuals with the critical and rare O-negative blood group, establishing one of the largest provincial databases for this specific type.
A Digital Bridge for Life
Forty thousand of the registered donors are police personnel, ranging from constables to senior officers like SSPs. The remaining volunteers come from diverse segments of society, including students, health professionals, and social activists.
The life-saving connection is managed through the PSCA’s Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system an automated system that guides callers through menus without requiring interaction with a live agent.
"After receiving a call on the 15 helpline for blood donation, the agent connects the call to the relevant staff member to have the required information of the patient, relevant hospital, admission record, and the disease he/she suffers from," explained an official privy to the information."
Following swift verification, a PSCA officer connects the registered donor directly with the caller via a conference call, coordinating a mutually convenient time for the donation. This efficient process is driven by the powerful slogan: "The blood donor of today may be the recipient of tomorrow."
Expanding Critical Services
The PSCA official noted that this scheme has revolutionized the timely provision of blood, particularly for those in dire need of rare groups.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has reportedly issued directives to further expand the scope of these blood transfusion services to ensure they reach critical patients, including infants, across all public and private hospitals in Punjab.
To broaden its reach, the PSCA blood bank database has been linked with various blood donor agencies, NGOs, and blood banks affiliated with colleges and universities. Furthermore, citizens can register as donors by calling 15, visiting the PSCA website, or submitting forms at police facilitation counters (Khidmat Centres) in public sector hospitals.
In a significant collaboration effort, Sundas Foundation a pioneer in voluntary blood transfusion services, especially for children with thalassemia has contacted PSCA high-ups. The organizations are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) soon to enhance joint efforts, aiming to support the maximum number of patients struggling with inherited disorders like thalassemia, which necessitates constant blood transfusions for survival.
