Every year, thousands of people across the world rely on blood transfusions to survive. From children with severe anaemia to patients undergoing surgeries or cancer treatments, blood is mostly the difference between life and death.
Yet, access to safe and sufficient blood remains a persistent challenge.
According to India’s Ministry of Health, the country faces an annual shortfall of over 1.9 million units of blood.
While WHO recommends that 100% of blood donations come from voluntary donors, only about 30% in India meet that criteria. The rest come from replacement donors, often friends or family members, which isn’t always reliable or timely.
On World Blood Donor Day (June 14), we spotlight this urgent need and the innovators working to solve it.
Across India and beyond, a new wave of startups is using technology to bridge the gap between donors, hospitals, and patients making the act of giving blood easier, faster, and more impactful than ever before.
Why blood donation matters
A single unit of blood can save up to three lives. Transfusions aren’t just for emergencies. They’re vital for surgeries, chronic conditions, cancer treatments, and childbirth complications.
Yet, many hospitals, especially in rural or under-resourced areas, still face severe shortages. These gaps result in treatment delays and cost lives.
Theme for 2025: Give Blood, Give Hope
The global theme for World Blood Donor Day 2025 is:
“Give blood, give hope: Together we save lives.”
This reminds us that donation is more than a medical act. It’s a gesture of solidarity, compassion, and community.
Every donor brings hope to mothers, babies, accident victims, and patients fighting for their lives.
It also reflects the spirit of unity and community. When we come together to donate, we strengthen healthcare systems and ensure help is available to anyone who needs it.
Key objectives of the World Blood Donor Day campaign
The 2025 campaign aims to:
- Raise awareness about the need for regular blood and plasma donations.
- Encourage both new and existing donors to give blood consistently.
- Highlight the value of voluntary donation as an act of solidarity and compassion.
- Urge governments and partners to invest in national blood programs and ensure access to safe blood for all.
Who can donate blood?
Most healthy people aged 18 to 65 are eligible. Basic criteria include:
- Minimum weight of 50 kg
- Good overall health and no active infections
- No alcohol or smoking in the last 24 hours
- No recent tattoos, piercings, or surgeries (within 3–6 months)
- Minimum hemoglobin: 12.0 g/dl for women, 13.0 g/dl for men
Those with HIV, recent travel to malaria-endemic areas, or certain medical histories may be deferred temporarily or permanently.
How technology is helping?
Across the globe, tech platforms are helping connect donors with patients in real time, improving the speed, safety, and transparency of the process.
Here are some:
e-Raktkosh (India)
e-Raktkosh is a platform that offers details about blood banks, available blood units, upcoming donation camps, and donor assistance. It connects over 3,800 registered blood banks across 29 states and 8 Union Territories in India.
Wateen App (Saudi Arabia)
Wateen is the official blood donation app of Saudi Arabia, designed to support donors, individuals currently ineligible to donate, and blood bank representatives. The app allows users to view and respond to donation requests from the Wateen community and even share appeals through social media. It also offers rewards to promote regular blood donations.
Raththam (India)
Raththam is a community-led blood donation platform that securely connects voluntary donors with those in urgent need. With built-in tracking, moderation, and safety features, it ensures seamless, ethical, and transparent blood donations—fostering a verified and compassionate donor network.
BloodPlus (India)
Hyderabad-based BloodPlus connects patients and blood banks with verified, consent-based donor data through an easy-to-use SMS alert system. Founded by Shasikant Chandak and Kshitij Kumar, it offers a privacy-first, always-updated platform to make blood donation faster and more reliable.
Simply Blood (India)
Delhi’s Simply Blood, founded by Kiran Verma, is the world’s first virtual blood donation platform. It connects recipients directly with nearby donors in real time—cutting out middlemen, ensuring privacy, and saving lives across 9 countries.
BloodConnect (India)
What began as an NSS project at IIT Delhi is now BloodConnect, a nationwide NGO tackling India’s blood shortage through 24×7 helplines, youth-led donation drives, and awareness campaigns. Founded by Nitin Garg and team, it’s building a grassroots movement for voluntary donation.
Khoon (India)
Started by teenager Chethan M Gowda in response to a personal tragedy, Khoon is a tech-powered NGO using app-based alerts and data analytics to match urgent blood needs with nearby donors. It has supported thousands of requests, hosted themed camps, and built a 87,000-strong donor network.
BloodPORT (India)
BloodPORT is an India-based healthtech platform that provides 24×7 access to blood donors, banks, hospitals, and camps via its app and web portal. With a mission-driven, 360-degree approach, it aims to make transfusion services safer, faster, and more affordable by connecting all stakeholders in real time.
LifeBank (Nigeria and Kenya)
Founded by Temie Giwa-Tubosun in Nigeria, LifeBank connects blood banks and hospitals to ensure timely delivery of blood and critical medical supplies. Operating in Nigeria and Kenya, it has served 500+ hospitals and gained global recognition for saving lives through better logistics.
Infiuss (Cameroon)
Cameroonian entrepreneur Melissa Bime founded Infiuss to bridge the gap between hospitals and blood banks using a digital platform. It helps hospitals without blood banks quickly locate needed blood, improving response times in critical situations across Cameroon.
Damu-Sasa (Kenya)
Launched in Kenya after the 2013 Westgate attack, Damu-Sasa is an end-to-end blood services platform. It supports everything from donor recruitment and screening to inventory and distribution, helping over 100 hospitals manage blood supply more efficiently.
Redbank (Nigeria)
Nigeria’s Redbank connects patients to nearby blood banks through mobile, SMS, and voice requests—responding in under 30 seconds. While it doesn’t deliver blood, it provides crucial real-time information, working alongside the Red Cross and other national organizations.
Haima Health Initiative (Nigeria)
Founded by Bukola Bolarinwa, who lives with sickle cell disease, Haima Health is an online voluntary blood donor registry in Nigeria. It organizes blood drives, raises awareness, and focuses on improving access to blood for sickle cell patients and others in need.
Our role and commitment
In India, an estimated 12,000 people lose their lives each day simply because blood doesn’t reach them in time. The gap isn’t just about infrastructure, it’s about participation. According to the WHO, nearly 90% of eligible donors worldwide still don’t donate.
One unit of blood can save up to three lives. So while these startups are building systems to make blood donation faster, smarter, and more accessible, they still need us.
This World Blood Donor Day, let’s recognise the everyday heroes, healthcare workers, volunteers, and regular donors, who keep the lifeline flowing.
If you’re eligible, donate. If you can organize, host a drive. If you can amplify, spread the word.
Because no one should lose their life for lack of a match.
Give blood, give hope. Let us make every drop count.
Happy World Blood Donor Day
-By Rinkle Dudhani and the AHT Team
