With supply short during pandemic, online blood donor lists are helping

Many blood banks relied on social media to get through to donors

Social media has become a tool for people to find almost anything — books, second furniture and now, even blood donors. If the numerous Whatsapp forwards and posts on Instagram and Facebook asking for people to step up and donate is a clue, there is a certain gap in the need for donors and their availability. In a bid to bridge this gap, several online platforms have come forward to create a database of donors.

Shujath Pasha S A created iRelief, an app that helps bridge the gap in the healthcare system, in 2006 after a personal loss. “My aunt in Mysuru had a heart attack. An otherwise healthy woman, she lost her life, because she was unable to get an ambulance,” he says. It helps users get an ambulance as per their needs, track the ambulance location and it notifies the hospital once the patient is picked up.

Realising that the scarcity of blood donors was a real problem, they decided to incorporate this into their platform. “Most people don’t know where the nearest blood bank is. And, sometimes, patients need a particular component of blood, and how do you access them? We offer a real-time inventory across Karnataka,” he explains.

The have tied up with blood banks across the state and hope to expand to across the country. Based on the person’s needs, the app connects people to the nearest blood bank, and the user can book the units on the platform itself and collect it.

They also maintain a donor database, allowing people to search for donors around them. Currently, they have 130,000 users, 60 per cent of them hail from the city.

While there is no licensing involved in being a portal, it is integral that they work with blood banks approved by the central/state health departments.

Donate through FB

In 2017, Facebook launched the blood donation feature on their platform, with the aim to connect people who are willing to donate blood with opportunities to do so. People can simply sign up as donors on the site, and they will get notified when blood banks near them request blood donations.

They have tied up with National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC), State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) and State AIDS Control Society (SACS) across states.

“Voluntary blood donations are a significant part of every country’s healthcare system. We noticed that many people, organisations and blood services providers were using the site to help enlist donors and often reaching out to their community for help. We wanted to make their experience safer and better,” says Manish Chopra, director and head of partnerships, Facebook India.

Donation during the pandemic

During the pandemic, blood banks and hospitals began employing digital ways to meet their blood requirements. This allows banks to connect with voluntary donors and schedule appointments, ensuring that social distancing is followed.

During June and July, iRelief saw a 70 per cent hike in downloads and calls.

Jeevaraksha blood bank on Cunningham Road is one such blood bank relying on digital platforms. Abdul Rahaman Shariff N, managing trustee, says that the pandemic and the indefinite request for blood has increased the pressure on India’s healthcare infrastructure. “Since the lockdown, we have been dealing with a lot of difficulties with chronic blood shortage as there aren’t enough people donating blood to meet the demand of people who need it. The requirement is high, but donors are hesitant to come out with the fear of catching the virus,” he says.

Almost every person today has access to devices and a presence on social media. Using it has helped reach out to a wider audience, which not only increased the number of walk-in donors at the bank but also helped maintain a reliable blood supply throughout the pandemic.

The shortage of blood supply, however, is not a new one. “It has been a global concern even before the outbreak of Covid-19. However, the pandemic has intensified the issue.” “We feel the only way to overcome the calamity is by educating the masses on the myths that surround donating blood, with a better understanding of the crisis,” he adds.