Hyderabad: In the year 2011, when a friend’s father needed several units of blood for an operation, Krishna Agarwal, a student at the time, donated blood for the first time, and finally the group Online Blood Donors (OBD) started . on social media. In the ten years since its inception, the group has developed into a kind of movement, which has facilitated the blood donations in Telangana.
‘In such a case, we could make arrangements for a number of donors, as the person needed 30 units of blood, and I realized that if we could do it easily, we could do it on a larger scale than it was organized. We started the Facebook group and connected donors to requests, ”says Krishna, who currently works as a project engineer at RCI. ‘The group has grown strongly over the decade. We currently have a core team of about 30 members who facilitate and coordinate in every district of the state, ”he says.
One of their biggest challenges is to create awareness and dispel myths about blood donation.
“There are many fears about blood donation and people also feel that their health will be affected if they donate blood. “Although it has decreased a lot now, we have spent a lot of time guiding people and explaining that blood donation will not affect their health, ‘says the 35-time blood donor.
In addition to linking blood donors to those who ask for blood for accidents or surgeries, OBD also holds camps for Thalassemia patients. ‘Most of our blood donation camps are specifically for Thalassemia patients who need a blood transfusion every few days. We are committed to other NGOs to donate blood to the patients, ‘says Krishna.
In addition, OBD also provides for platelets and other such requirements, including the supply of rare blood groups such as the Bombay Blood Group. “We could do all this just by coordinating on social media, without any funding or a website or even a logo. It’s a testament to the fact that you can help people if you just have the will, ‘he shares.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the group also facilitated hundreds of plasma donations through their large network of potential donors. ‘In the last ten years we’ve built up an extensive database of blood donors, and we have a list of at least one lakh donor. In the pandemic, we were able to facilitate hundreds of plasma donations and help our people, ”Krishna added.
Source: Telangana Today