Blood Donation: ICT Division partners up with Facebook
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division has partnered with Facebook and a local blood bank – Bloodman Bangladesh – to promote use of technology for better access to voluntary and safe blood supply.
Most blood banks in Bangladesh have been experiencing shortages since late March, due to the pandemic that restricted movement, but such a service is essential for saving lives, said officials concerned.
"It is still a struggle to get access to safe blood in Bangladesh. In a country of over 160 million people, the key challenge is lack of communication between seekers and donors," said Sahariar Hasan Jisun, founder and chairperson of Bloodman Bangladesh, in a virtual discussion yesterday.
ICT Division, Facebook, Bloodman and Benchmark jointly organised the event.
Last week, ICT Division wrote a letter to health ministry, seeking its directives on hospitals, so that they use the Facebook feature to ensure quick blood donations.
Jisun said Facebook made finding donors easier, including platelet donors for dengue patients and plasma donors for Covid-19 patients. Bloodman can train hospital staff on how to use the feature to collect blood from the nearest donors at the earliest.
ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak lauded Facebook and Bloodman for their social initiatives centring this issue. He said it is also one of the fastest and easiest ways to let donors know of critical blood needs in areas outside of Dhaka.
Palak said ICT Division can offer financial help to make sure that hospitals get training in this regard.
Shelley Thakral -- head of policy programmes, South and Central Asia at Facebook -- said, "We are committed to bringing people and communities together through our platform."
"The global pandemic has been a strong reminder that it is more important than ever to sign up to be a blood donor on Facebook, stay up-to-date about local blood needs, learn about safe ways to donate blood in your community and inspire others to give back by giving blood," she said.
Anyone can register as a blood donor on Facebook by going to facebook.com/donateblood.
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