Facebook’s new blood donation feature in Bangladesh

Facebook will be launching a new blood donation feature in Bangladesh to easily and effectively connect the blood donors and those in need.

This social media application will bring blood donors, people and organisations together, said a press release issued today announcing tomorrow’s launch of the feature.

In Bangladesh, there are about hundreds of thousands of people trying to find out donors but often fail to find it, Hema Budaraju, product lead of Health at Facebook in South Asia, said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star at a city hotel today.

The feature is expected to increase awareness on the need of blood donations and connect people and help them in need, she said.

"The role Facebook can play here is that it can provide the context. But there has to be some communication between the donor and the recipient. We expect that the two parties will coordinate," she added.

How it works?

This new feature will allow people using Facebook in Bangladesh to sign up as blood donors or to let others know that they are willing to donate by visiting the following address: facebook.com/donateblood.

People seeking blood donors will have to make a special post on Facebook, using the feature and providing the location, phone number and the blood group required.

Only after signing up people will get notification about available donors.

Facebook will not disclose details about its donor unless one wants to share it with their audience, the official added.

The feature will be available in Android, iOS and www.