Connecting blood warriors: Mobile app helps to save lives on time

Alarmed by the fact that the country is facing a shortage of three million units of blood every year, which is 25 per cent of the total requirement, Hyderabadi computer science engineer, Charan Damaraju decided to put his expertise to good use.

Charan founded an app called MastGo, which caters to those in need of blood. The app attempts to facilitate quick and efficient identification of donors and effective communication so that blood reaches the beneficiary before it is too late.

The 44-year-old quit his job with a multinational company where he was heading a team of 600 people, to take up this project and give back to society.

“Emotionally, the journey has been very fulfilling. When we put up a stall for the app in an exhibition, many reacted positively to it,” he says. Charan is a graduate of the Osmania University. “The gratitude that I received for this initiative cannot be compared to any regular job,” he says.

Since prevention is better than cure, Charan’s team of five has also developed a feature on the app where citizens can mark a hazard on roads and prevent accidents.

Talking about the idea behind the initiative, Charan says, “Whenever we spot a manhole or any other such danger on the road, we immediately alert our family to watch out. And when someone is in need of blood, we look to our family and friends for help. I thought, why not make this family larger?”

The app, that was launched in November last year, has more than 7,000 subscribers throughout the country and has been of direct help to about 70 lives in the city, Charan claims

“It took eight months to develop the app. The creation was not difficult, but I had to go to each and every blood bank personally and request them to tie up with us. When they were made aware of the idea, they were happy to be part of the project,” says Charan. He adds that another challenge is to reach out to their target base — the youth.