Blood donation goes digital: Lessons from global best practices
According to official data, only about 30-35% of the country's blood supply comes from voluntary donors. The remaining 65-70% is sourced through patients' relatives or informal, often unregulated markets
With social media and smart tools transforming blood donation worldwide, how can Bangladesh adopt similar strategies?
Blood donation in Bangladesh remains an unfinished story. Every day, hospitals across the country witness patients struggling to survive due to a lack of blood. Despite this constant need, the culture of voluntary blood donation is yet to become fully institutionalised.
According to official data, only about 30-35% of the country's blood supply comes from voluntary donors. The remaining 65-70% is sourced through patients' relatives or informal, often unregulated markets.
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This system is riddled with serious challenges — from poor quality control to broker-driven supply chains, unethical pressures on patients' families, and widespread fear and misconceptions about blood donation.
Amid these challenges, recent global research offers a new horizon. Social media and digital tools have shown remarkable potential to revolutionise blood donation practices. Yet, without proper frameworks and governance, these platforms can also fuel unregulated and unsafe markets.
Globally, the voluntary blood donation landscape is evolving continuously. Countries face diverse challenges at different times — the Covid-19 pandemic, for instance, led to severe blood shortages worldwide. In response, many nations adapted their collection strategies using innovative communication and digital tools.
Two recent international studies shed light on both the possibilities and challenges of this digital transformation.
A 2025 systematic review titled 'Efficacy of communication interventions for promoting blood donation in LMICs' reveals that in low- and middle-income countries, communication campaigns through social media, TV/radio, SMS, and direct outreach significantly helped recruit new donors and retain existing ones.
In countries like China, Brazil, Thailand, Iran, and India, proactive follow-ups via SMS and phone calls — especially messages highlighting the successful use of donated blood — led to repeat donation rates increasing by 16-36%.
In Bangladesh, such evidence-based campaigns are rare. Appeals for blood here are mostly limited to desperate calls mentioning patients' critical conditions. There is little to no structured communication celebrating donors' contributions or inspiring new ones — an area where we consistently fall short.
Another success story comes from the study 'Promoting blood donation through social media', which evaluated the impact of Facebook's Blood Donation Tool across the USA, Brazil, and India.
Through this tool, Facebook users received blood donation alerts, location details of nearby collection centres, timings, and information on current needs. The results were impressive:
- Total blood donations increased by 4%.
- First-time donors increased by nearly 19%.
- In Brazil and India, within a year, 14.1% of donors reported that Facebook influenced their decision to donate blood.
Importantly, this tool achieved results without any financial incentives, in line with WHO guidelines for voluntary, unpaid blood donation.
Another key insight — the tool appealed particularly to younger demographics. In the USA, the average age of users who responded was 33 years. Fostering a culture of blood donation among youth is a vital opportunity for sustainable future supply.
The Bangladeshi context and challenges
In Bangladesh, blood donation appeals flood social media platforms, particularly Facebook, where numerous groups and pages post urgent requests daily. However, there is no single, verified national platform to manage this process.
As a result, an unregulated blood market has emerged:
- Numerous broker networks now thrive, selling unsafe or unverified blood.
- There is a significant gap in government-run blood donation platforms.
- Social media lacks proper mechanisms to verify donors or ensure safe collection practices.
Without proper regulation, the misuse of social media is growing, even as its genuine potential remains largely untapped.
What should Bangladesh do to promote safe digital blood donation?
1. Develop a national blood donation platform and app
A central, government-approved blood donor registry and a verified blood donation app must be created. This platform should include:
- Information on safe and licensed blood banks.
- Verified donor tagging.
- Government-supported digital campaigns to drive safe donations.
2. Localise the Facebook Blood Donation Tool
Bangladesh should adopt a version of Facebook's Blood Donation Tool, tailored for local needs, through a government-private partnership. This would allow users to receive targeted donation reminders and updates on local blood requirements.
3. Educational and myth-busting campaigns
- Myth-busting videos explaining that donating blood is safe and even beneficial to health.
- Highlighting success stories of lives saved through blood donations.
- Community-based storytelling, especially beyond major urban centres, to build trust and awareness.
4. Enable smart blood transport and logistics
Safe and efficient transport of blood across regions must be ensured.
- Establish smart cold chain logistics.
- Collaborate with private logistics partners (such as Pathao/Uber/Obhai Health, eCourier) for reliable blood transport.
5. Enhance donor recognition and motivation
- Honour donors during an annual National Blood Donor Day with public recognition.
- Provide digital badges and e-certificates to acknowledge their contributions.
- Offer free health check-ups and loyalty programs. Donors could access select free medical tests at government hospitals and benefit from priority health services — a gesture likely to inspire many more to contribute.
Towards a new culture of blood donation
Transforming Bangladesh's blood donation landscape requires sustainable, modern, and ethical communication strategies. Mere pleas for blood donation are no longer enough.
Global research has shown that properly managed social media tools can become the most powerful force driving voluntary blood donation. Conversely, left unregulated, these platforms can also enable the growth of an unsafe and exploitative blood market.
It is time to:
- Build a safe, transparent, verified blood donation platform under government leadership.
- Develop a clear social media strategy to promote voluntary blood donation.
- Ensure proper recognition and protection for donors.
By doing so, we can usher in a new era of blood donation in Bangladesh — where safe blood reaches the right patients at the right time, and where social media serves as a force for good in saving lives.
Dr Ashraful Hoque is an assistant professor of Transfusion Medicine at Cumilla Medical College.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
