Tomorrow, June 14, is World Blood Donor Day again. Angela Ochu-Baiye, the founder of Jela’s Development Initiatives (JDI), a non-governmental organization, is pleading with Nigerians to use J Blood Match, an AI-powered platform that efficiently links unpaid blood donors with people who need blood to survive.
On the fringes of blood donation awareness campaigns organized by JDI for this year’s World Blood Donor Day (WBDD), Ochu-Baiye led the charge and stated that J Blood Match, which JDI introduced on November 21, 2019, is a useful platform that quickly and conveniently links people in need of blood with willing, unpaid donors at no cost.

Ochu-Abioye claims that the NGO is creatively using the AI system to create a robust blood donation network that is reachable via social media sites like Facebook and Telegram.

In her own words: “Recipients in government-verified hospitals submit requests to the AI. It’s cost-free. To register, all you have to do is visit it through the Telegram or Facebook apps.

For me, giving blood goes beyond fulfilling a civic obligation; it takes compassion for people. Knowing that giving up a unit of blood that you currently have but would run out of in three months because your body produces new blood cells is basically what keeps us human, in my opinion.

Furthermore, giving blood ensures that the heart of your real blood sister or brother continues to beat because it keeps them alive thanks to your contribution.

“No matter where we live, we are all connected, and when we let J blood Match match us with our blood sisters or brothers in need, we are doing our civic duty and keeping the world going.”

In addition to pleading for collaborations and support from pertinent health sector players for a widespread public awareness campaign, Ochu-Baiye made a suggestion that she intended to apply J Blood Match AI to other neighboring African countries after it was widely accepted in Nigeria.

The J Blood Match AI is integrated into Facebook and Telegram and employs Artificial Intelligence to collect donor data such as gender, location, age, contact and blood group, which now make up the donor profile.

To create a profile on the platform and register with the necessary blood group when in need of blood, all one needs to do is visit the platform. Based on the donor data that is currently accessible, the AI then searches the system to discover the match who is closest to you.

It is a day designated to raise awareness throughout the world about the importance of safe blood and blood products for transfusions, as well as the crucial role that willing blood donors play in their nations’ healthcare systems.