A website promotes ‘blood relationship,’ networks donors

It gives many mobile applications for faster reach

A friend in need is a friend indeed, goes the popular saying. Going a step further from friendship, a life-saving website is virtually promoting blood relationship by creating a vast network of voluntary blood donors across the country.

Ahead of the National Voluntary Blood Donation Day on October 1, the portal which gives many mobile phone applications such as apps in tune with the present tech-savvy generation makes a serious pitch with its message “If we cannot, who else can do it?”

The website -www.friends2support.org -is networking blood donors all over the country and those in need of donors can find them online with no scope for exploitation. Launched in November 2005, this website called as F2S allows any person to register and volunteer to be a blood donor.

“Sometimes blood donation camps may lead to a colossal waste of blood since it has to be utilised within a particular period. Our website enables the donor to donate blood as and when required,” A.V. Satheesh Kumar, State coordinator, F2S, who is based in Ramanathapuram, told The Hindu on Wednesday.

A blood donors’ database of 1.5 lakh people in various places with contact numbers has been created and many mobile applications were added as special features. If a person donates blood, his name will be hidden for the next 90 days to avoid calls to him. Mr. Kumar says buying blood in private hospitals or blood banks looks ridiculous in a country with millions of young and healthy people who are ready to voluntarily donate their blood.

“People in need of blood can directly contact the donor in his city or town… All they have to do is go to the website, find the donor link, mention the blood group and call the phone number of the donor they choose,” he says.

The website founder, S.K. Shareef of Narasaraopet in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh said friends2support idea struck after seeing middlemen fleecing patients of money for blood.

“I with the support of my friends thought of using technology for the cause of voluntary blood donation. With 200 members we started and today there is a good platform for safe blood and no money is involved. We have saved two lakh lives in the last eight years,” he said.