At least 11 million people in Bangladesh have signed up to be blood donors through social media, since Facebook’s blood donation feature was launched in Bangladesh in partnership with Bloodman in 2018. Globally, over 100 million people have signed up to be blood donors through Facebook since 2017.
People in Bangladesh can play a role in raising awareness about the importance of donating and help build a reliable and sustainable supply of blood in the country. To better support community-based blood collection, Facebook also introduced a way for blood banks to share their mobile drives via Facebook Events, increasing their visibility to nearby, potential donors, the release further said.
“At Facebook, we are trying to build online communities for positive impact. During the pandemic, Facebook has worked with Bloodman and blood banks around the country to ensure people continue to have safe access to blood. This World Blood Donor Day, we encourage more Bangladeshis to sign up, donate blood to their nearest blood banks and motivate others,” said Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, who leads public policy for Bangladesh at Facebook.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Additional Secretary Syed Mujibul Huq said: “Hospitals and blood banks across Bangladesh have been facing challenges in collecting blood because of the pandemic. At this time, Facebook’s blood donations tool has made it easier for blood banks to digitize their services and connect with potential blood donors.
“We thank Bloodman and Facebook for digitizing the blood donations system and raising awareness about donating. Patients in hospitals can now use this technology to receive care swiftly during the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.