MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name

Bloodlink

One-line solution summary.

Bloodlink is a (P2P) peer to peer blood donation mobile app developed for the benefit of the needy for blood during an emergency.

Elevator pitch

What is your solution?

Bloodlink connects blood donors and recipients through 5 simple steps. A user signs up for an account on the mobile application. After account creation, the user is able to retrieve a list of potential blood donors based on closest location and blood type. On tap of a button, the user can request for blood from another registered user(donor) on the application. The selected user/donor receives a notification informing them about the blood request. Lastly, the potential blood donor reaches out to the recipient and blood is donated at UBTS(Uganda Blood Transfusion Service).

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

Blood shortages in most health facilities due to inadequate donations is one of the biggest challenges faced in Uganda and most African countries which prevent severely anemic and critically injured patients from receiving life-saving transfusions. Illegal selling of blood at government hospitals, where it is supposed to be provided at no cost, is one of the major challenges faced in the country. With the advent COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sharp decline of blood supplies to the hospital from the National Blood Bank. Using our solution the blood donated is specifically labelled for the recipient that requested it. This eliminates some of the bottlenecks above like the illegal selling of blood. Many have lost loved ones as a result of these unscrupulous tendencies.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

The largest consumers of blood across hospitals in Uganda are mainly anemic persons, mothers, children under 5 and those who are going for surgeries(mainly accident victims like the boda bodas(motorcycles) and taxis who are very prone to accidents). Amongst the mothers are those who are going for operations i.e. For c-section procedures. In Kampala Uganda, records state that there are more than 300 boda boda accidents in every month in which the victims almost always require a blood transfusion.

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

I first travelled to Northern Uganda early 2020 for a learning program through the Centre for Social Concerns. After learning in clinics from Ugandan medical workers about the country’s healthcare system, I knew that I wanted to perform research in global health within the country. I sought to make my project as collaborative as possible from its conception to its actual realization, and achieving this was my greatest accomplishment in the field this year. When I brainstormed my initial idea, I spoke to my friends who worked in clinics about understudied challenges that they face on a daily basis, and they often mentioned the blood shortages, which prevent severely anemic and critically injured patients from receiving life-saving transfusions. After designing a research project to understand this problem, I sought to partner with those on the ground who seek to address it. I shared my research questions with staff at Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (UBTS) and the Uganda Red Cross Society, the primary actors in blood donation in Uganda, and asked for feedback before implementing my project in order to explore what they sought to gain from my work and to collaborate on the most effective ways to accompany each other. In the field, I asked people directly affected by blood donation and blood shortages about their recommendations for improving services and increasing the number of donors, and I used my research as a platform to share their stories and suggestions.

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Improving healthcare access and health outcomes; and reducing and ultimately eliminating health disparities (Health)

Our solution's stage of development:

Pilot: An organization deploying a tested product, service, or business model in at least one community

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution—in other words, what have you accomplished to date?

The Bloodlink mobile application has been built, albeit a few bugs(don’t hinder functionality) exist. We look forward to opening up to a public beta and improving the app with feedback from the users.

Where our solution team is headquartered or located:

Kampala, Uganda

Team Lead:

Nantaba Elsie Brenda