ISLAMABAD: To encourage its hundreds of millions of users in three major South Asian countries, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, Facebook launched a blood donations center on its website.
This new online center was launched to mark the World Blood Donor Day to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gift of blood and to raise awareness about regular blood donations.
The new feature gives donors an opportunity to donate blood in their respective cities, by sharing information about blood donation events nearby, requests from blood banks, and other blood donors.
It also enables organizations to add requests and events to the center.
“There is a severe shortage and need for blood of all types in Pakistan, especially when disaster strikes and in the case of emergencies,” the Pakistan Red Crescent Society said on its website.
“Pakistan is among those countries where the voluntary blood donation rate is very low.” Arshad Gill, who runs a blood testing lab and works with blood-banks in Islamabad, told Arab News.
Gill added: “Though no official data was compiled, estimates prepared by blood banks and health practitioners show that only 10 percent of blood comes from voluntary donors, and the rest people arrange in case of medical emergencies either through relatives or from those who donate for money.”
“We know that when donors have information and opportunities to give, they step up to help. But often donors don’t know where and when to donate,” Hema Budaraju, product lead, health, Facebook, said in a statement.
People who visit the center on Facebook can also sign up to be a donor and be notified directly when there is a need for blood nearby.
Currently, more than 11 million people have signed up in countries including Pakistan, India and Bangladesh and thousands of donations have been facilitated through Facebook, the social media giant said in a statement.
“Blood Donations on Facebook aims to bridge these gaps by providing information on the opportunities available nearby. We hope that by raising awareness and letting people know where and when they can donate, we can increase blood donations and contribute to a more sustainable blood supply,” she added.
People in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh can visit facebook.com/blooddonations to find out more about the program and places to donate.
Facebook launches online blood donations center for Pakistan, India, Bangladesh
Facebook launches online blood donations center for Pakistan, India, Bangladesh
- New feature on social media giant’s website helps people to sign up as blood donors and be notified when they are needed to donate nearby
- More than 11 million have already signed up and Facebook says thousands of donations have been facilitated through the center
Bangladesh’s religio-political party open to unity govt
- Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years
DHAKA: A once-banned Bangladeshi religio-political party, poised for its strongest electoral showing in February’s parliamentary vote, is open to joining a unity government and has held talks with several parties, its chief said.
Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years as it marks a return to mainstream politics in the predominantly Muslim nation of 175 million.
Jamaat last held power between 2001 and 2006 as a junior coalition partner with the BNP and is open to working with it again.
“We want to see a stable nation for at least five years. If the parties come together, we’ll run the government together,” Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman said in an interview at his office in a residential area in Dhaka, days after the party created a buzz by securing a tie-up with a Gen-Z party.
Rahman said anti-corruption must be a shared agenda for any unity government.
The prime minister will come from the party winning the most seats in the Feb. 12 election, he added. If Jamaat wins the most seats, the party will decide whether he himself would be a candidate, Rahman said.
The party’s resurgence follows the ousting of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a youth-led uprising in August 2024.
Rahman said Hasina’s continued stay in India after fleeing Dhaka was a concern, as ties between the two countries have hit their lowest point in decades since her downfall.
Asked about Jamaat’s historical closeness to Pakistan, Rahman said: “We maintain relations in a balanced way with all.”
He said any government that includes Jamaat would “not feel comfortable” with President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who was elected unopposed with the Awami League’s backing in 2023.
