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PENANG, Sun. - A service club will pool its resources to form a computer networking system linking hospitals and blood donors in an organised and continous structure. The Bloodlink is a community service project conceptualised by the Lions Club of Georgetown Island. It will be implemented in the first quarter of the year. By applying advanced information technology, Bloodlink will serve as a linkage between blood donors and Penang Hospital so as to save time, manpower and, most of all, the donated blood. For the time being the programme will be confined to the island. Later, it would be extended to the whole State and eventually linked to Lions clubs nationwide. Club treasurer and project head Chuah Gim Chuan said the "intelligent computerised data processing system" would trace information about the donor such as blood type, eligibility, availability for blood donation and frequency of donations made. It will also have vital information like the requirements of the hospital. "The pledged donors will only donate their blood as and when the need arises. This system will be more efficient in terms of time and manpower management and will optimise the efficient use of the donated blood," he said during the launch of Bloodlink at Novotel last night. The event was officiated by State Youth and Sports Committee chairman Koay Kar Hwa, representing Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon. The system is sponsored by Globetronics Sdn Bhd. The prototype of the software will be running by late February or early March. He said through the Bloodlink system donors would be linked to the Penang Hospital via telephone lines. Later, this link would be extened to private hospitals such as Lam Wah Ee, Gleneagles and Mount Miriam. Apart from linking hospitals and donors, the objective of the Bloodlink project is also to educate the public about blood donation by holding public talks, road shows, exhibitions through the Internet, PenangNet and the media. Among the key features of Bloodlink software, said Chuah, was the defaulting function which would reject potential donor applicants who failed the qualification requirements, including being under-aged and under-weight. It has an automatic "trigger-remind-notify" feature to remind donors to turn up at a specific date. The software will also divide donors according to their blood group. The Bloodlink operator will co-ordinate the appointment for the donor with the receiving organisation. Speaking to the Press later, club president Tan Chin Kon said the club hoped to have a Bloodlink Homepage on the Internet by May. It will also be on the PenangNet once that was launched.
sources;
James.A,(1997 JANUARY 13). Computer network to link blood donors and hospitals. New Straits Times.