A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that one can get blood in an emergency if he/she sends an SMS to the number 9600097000. Factly received a query on its WhatsApp tip-line number (+91 9247052470) to check the authenticity of the claim. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: To get blood during emergency, send an SMS to 9600097000.
Fact: The SMS service of 9600097000 in relation to blood donation is no longer active. SMS to 9600097000 was a service started by Airtel and Jeevan Blood Bank in Chennai in 2008 to provide instant information about availability of blood. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The SMS service of 9600097000 in relation to blood donation is no longer active. SMS to 9600097000 was a service started by Airtel and Jeevan Blood Bank in Chennai in 2008 to provide instant information about the availability of blood.
According to the 2008 Press Release in Jeevan Blood Bank’s website, Airtel had started a project named “Airtel Cares for Everyone”. ‘This is a first of its kind initiative, wherein people can source information on blood within minutes and access the real-time stock of tested blood components from Jeevan Blood Bank 24 hours a day.’ SMS service through the number 9600097000 (which is now going viral but not in service with relation to blood donation presently) was given to provide information about the availability of blood.
To sum it up, the SMS service of this purported number is no longer active in relation to blood donation.
