In India, Facebook used to find blood donors in emergencies

Socialblood uses Facebook to connect people of the same blood group, facilitating blood donations in emergency situations.

Hospitals around the world depend on blood donors for the treatment of patients in emergency situations, as well as for the treatment of patients with ongoing conditions. Some blood types, however, are less common than others, making it harder to find matches. Now in India, Socialblood is taking advantage of Facebook to connect people of the same blood group, facilitating blood donations in emergency situations. Socialblood was launched this summer by 22-year-old founder Karthik Naralasetty who won the Staples/Ashoka Youth Social Entrepreneur competition. The Facebook app invites users to register simply by selecting their blood group. They are then connected to one of eight Facebook groups — one for each blood type. They can invite friends to join the campaign via Facebook, post a message in case of an emergency or respond to requests for blood donations. Already Socialblood has seen participation from 1,500 people, and Naralasetty says a recent post from a man asking for blood for his daughter received 74 responses in 24 hours. Could a similar campaign help hospitals find suitable blood donor matches quicker in your locality, and could you be the one to set it up? Spotted by: Murtaza Patel