One of the most important body fluids is blood. Its primary functions are to transport oxygen and nutrients into the lungs and tissues, protect from inflammation, and regulate pH and water balance in the body. That makes it a demanding component of the human body – when one suffers from lack of blood, it is considered an emergency.
In cases that the blood of a human is far less than 4.7 liters, one should immediately find a blood donor. And in the Philippines, it’s difficult to find readily available blood to use when you have no healthy friend or relative to offer his or her blood.
There’s already an app for that. Called the BloodSeeker, it is a mobile and web app that matches people who are in need of a particular blood type with potential donors within a one kilometer radius.
The app is relatively easy to use. Interested donors only need to answer a few questions regarding their health, including drug use, travel history, and sexual habits. All of which are required information from the donor before one could even share any type of blood.
It was developed by students from the University of San Jose-Recoletos in Cebu as an entry to the Smart 13th SWEEP (Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program) Innovation and Excellence Awards, wherein they won the top prize. They were awarded P300,000 at the Mind Museum in Taguig on February 9.
“We are overwhelmed by the win,” says USJ-R College of Information, Computer and Communications Technology dean Greg Gabison to MyCebu after the awarding ceremonies.
Weeks of hardwork have been poured into building the app, validating its market demand, and studying a potential business model to make it sustainable.
BloodSeeker members Kirster Kyle Quinio, Alyzza Villahermosa, Harniel Salmeron and Sept Lozada already pitched the app to potential partners Philippine Red Cross and the Department of Health – Central Visayas. This should simplify the process of donating blood, something that the two institutions saw in the app – a good sign that the app will roll out soon in public.
Source: MyCebu
