Disha

Disha

A friend in need is a friend indeed. Information made available when required the most is often invaluable. Helplines are meant and designed to serve this purpose. Our social structure often provides helplines for a lot of prevalent problems. 10 years ago it was a surprise for our little team that there is no helpline to help in search of blood. It was on September 13 2006 that the statewide helpline for blood in Karnataka took flight. Today it serves as a lifeline to thousands of patients every month.

On 13th September 2014, Disha the blood help-line will be celebrating the 8th year of continuous service. Since the launch on the evening of 13th September 2006 at the Raj Bhawan by the then governor of Karnatataka Sh. T N Chaturvedi, the help-line has grown into a reliable, single window access to blood for all parts of Karnataka.

In 2006, Karnataka became the first state in India to have a single point of contact for blood information access. The safest blood banks of the state were embraced the idea of transparency and were networked to a single channel.

Disha means direction. Disha was started with the intention to direct patients to the nearest source of safe blood. In doing so, Disha has finally started directing other teams of Sankalp as well.

3 of the best Blood Banks from Uttara Kannada are now networked to the centralized blood helpline. Pandit Govt Hospital IMA Blood Bank (Sirsi), Shripad Hagde Kadave Blood Bank (Sirsi) and Uttara Kannada Rotary Blood Bank (Kumta) are now a part of Disha. Helpline stickers and posters have also been given to other blood banks of the area.