FACEBOOK CHIEF executive Mark Zuckerberg is urging members of the world’s biggest social network to share their organ-donor status on the site, aiming to spur more donations and reduce waiting times for transplants.
Users can add donor plans to their profile, similar to the way they already note a hometown or alma mater, Mr Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, said on a blog post.
More than 114,000 people in the US and millions more worldwide are waiting for life-saving heart, liver or kidney transplants, Facebook said. Many of them – 18 a day on average – die because there aren’t enough organs for transplant.
“Medical experts believe that broader awareness about organ donation could go a long way toward solving this crisis,” Mr Zuckerberg and Ms Sandberg said on the blog. “By simply telling people that you’re an organ donor, the power of sharing and connection can play an important role.”
Facebook added the ability to update a health and wellness section on profiles with organ-donor status. The medical section was introduced earlier this year when Facebook introduced its new timeline format. - (Bloomberg)
