It is not just things like more talk-time, new-age gaming and improved GPRS that mobile operators are busy offering. Some of them also stand beside people in medical distress and needing urgent help to mobilise instant support from their wide subscriber base.
In recent months, there have been a number of instances where most mobile users in Punjab telecom circle, which includes Chandigarh, have received SMS messeges telling them about someone’s severe medical emergency and seeking help by way of donating blood or money. Such initiatives have worked wonders for the needy people as mobile users have instantly shown in large numbers how they really care, thanks to the reach of the cellular network.
When Rajeev Bali, a 32-year-old just-retired Indian Air Force personnel, met with a fatal accident in Chandigarh late on August 10 evening and needed ‘B -’ (B Negative) blood urgently for a critical surgery the next day, his brother almost found it impossible to get blood that matched Rajeev’s blood group.
It was not availabale in blood banks and hospitals in the city.
‘‘Airtel helped us like God. I called up a friend, Randhir Verma, asking help and he spoke to Airtel executives, telling them about Rajeev’s urgency for B-negative blood. Airtel flashed the message with my mobile number to its subscribers. In just an hour I received about 150 calls, all offering their B-negative blood to save Rajeev,’’ said Sanjay, a friend, who was on a business trip to Chandigarh.
Nearly 20 Airtel subscribers with B-negative blood group reached Command Hospital, where Rajeev was admitted, and his surgery could be possible after blood was collected from these donors. Delay could have caused infections in Rajeev’s badly crushed right leg. Randhir Verma said he initially called Hutch for similar help, but they refused. ‘‘They said they have no such policy,’’ said Verma.
In another incident on Thursday evening, 22-year-old leukamia patient Aneeta Sharma’s blood platelet count went dangerously down and authorities at the Blood Centre, Sector 37, started desperately searching for fresh blood for the B-positive blood-group girl. ‘‘Finding fresh blood of this group nowhere, we approached Airtel and they flashed SMS messages to their subscribers. In just an hour, we received about 150 calls offering B-positive blood,’’ said Blood Transfusion Officer Dr Kuldeep Singh. Aneeta got the five units of blood she badly needed to stop bleeding.
Besides Airtel, the other mobile operator doing such service is Spice. When contacted, the rest of the mobile operators said either they had no such policy to help people or that such SMS-sending was disallowed by TRAI. Airtel and Spice, however, said this was a ‘‘noble cause’’ and they would continue it.