Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about iKumeed platform.
General
How do I donate blood?
You can register as a donor on our platform, complete your profile, and search for active blood requests in your area. Alternatively, you can book an appointment at a nearby blood drive.
Safety
Is it safe to donate blood?
Yes, donating blood is completely safe. We ensure that all our partnering hospitals and blood banks follow strict hygiene and safety protocols, including the use of sterile, single-use equipment.
Is my personal information shared with recipients?
No. Your contact details are kept private. Coordination happens through the platform, and only the information necessary to arrange a safe donation is shared, in line with our Privacy Policy.
How does iKumeed verify donor identity?
Donors can complete identity verification using a government ID and an AI-assisted face match, which unlocks the "Verified" badge on your profile and helps build trust with recipients and hospitals.
Requests
Who can request blood?
Any registered user who is an authenticated patient, or a representative from a verified hospital/clinic, can request blood in emergency situations through the platform.
What is an SOS blood alert?
SOS Alerts are real-time emergency broadcasts sent to nearby compatible donors when someone urgently needs blood. If you're an eligible donor near an active SOS alert, you may be notified so you can respond quickly.
Can I request blood for someone else, like a family member?
Yes. You can create a blood request on behalf of a patient by providing the required details (blood type, urgency, and location). Verified hospitals and clinics can also submit requests directly.
How do I cancel a blood request I created?
Open the request from your dashboard and use the cancel or close option once it's no longer needed — for example, if it's been fulfilled. This stops further notifications from going out to donors.
Eligibility
Why do you ask for my gender?
The safe gap between whole-blood donations is different for men (90 days) and women (120 days). iKumeed uses your gender to pause request alerts for the right length of time after you donate. If you haven't set it, the longer 120-day gap is used to keep you safe.
Which blood types are compatible with mine?
Our Blood Compatibility page shows which blood groups can donate to and receive from each other. For example, O negative red cells can be given to every blood group, and people with AB positive blood can receive red cells from every group.
Who is eligible to donate blood on iKumeed?
Eligibility generally depends on age, weight, general health, and local medical guidelines, which can vary by region and blood bank. When you respond to a request or book a donation, the partnering hospital or blood bank will confirm your eligibility with a quick health check before you donate.
How often can I donate blood?
Most health authorities recommend waiting at least 8–12 weeks between whole blood donations to let your body fully recover. Your donation history is tracked on your profile, and the exact interval may be confirmed by the donation center based on your last donation date.
Can I donate blood if I'm currently on medication or recovering from an illness?
It depends on the medication or condition. Some medications and recent illnesses require a temporary waiting period before you can safely donate. Please disclose your full medical history to the medical staff at the donation center — they will confirm whether you can donate that day.
Donating
How far will I be asked to travel?
You choose this in your profile: 2, 5, 10 (the default), 20 or 50 km. You're only alerted about requests within that distance of the location saved in your profile.
Why didn't I get an alert for a blood request?
Alerts only go to donors who have a compatible blood group, are within the travel distance set in their profile, have their location saved, and aren't in their rest period after a recent donation. Check that your blood group and location are filled in on your profile.
Blood Requests
What do Critical, Urgent and Planned mean on a request?
They show how urgent a request is and how long it stays open: Critical requests stay open for 2 hours, Urgent requests for 24 hours, and Planned requests for 7 days. After that, the request expires.
Do I have to pay to request blood?
No. Posting a blood request and receiving responses from donors on iKumeed is free. Hospitals may still charge their usual processing fees for blood, and buying or selling blood is not allowed on iKumeed.
Safety & Privacy
How do contact requests work?
If you'd like to reach a particular donor, you can send them a contact request. The donor decides whether to approve or decline it. Once it's approved, you can connect with each other through iKumeed.
How do I block or report someone?
Use Contact & Safety in your dashboard to block or report someone. You can also report someone from a blood request, a contact request or a conversation. Our team reviews every report.
What happens if my account is reported?
Our team reviews reports. If an account receives several reports, it's restricted automatically while they're reviewed. You'll see this on your dashboard, and you can submit an appeal from there.
Is buying or selling blood allowed?
No. Blood donation on iKumeed must be voluntary and unpaid. Offering or asking for money for blood is against our Terms of Service. Please report it, and our team will act, which can include permanently banning the account.
Account
How do I change my password?
Open Change Password from your dashboard and set a new password.
Why is my profile change "under review"?
Changes to your name, phone number, address, city, state, country, postal code or profile photo are checked by our team before they go live. We email you when you submit them, and your profile shows the pending change until it's reviewed.
Help & Resources
What should I do in a medical emergency?
Call your local emergency number first: in India, 112 for any emergency, or 108 for an ambulance in most states. Then post a blood request on iKumeed so nearby compatible donors are alerted. Our Emergency Numbers page lists numbers for other countries too.
Where can I find a blood centre near me?
Use e-RaktKosh (eraktkosh.mohfw.gov.in), the official blood centre directory run by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. It lists blood centres by state and district with their contact details, and shows blood stock availability. It's also linked from our Blood Centres page.
Donation Process
How do I find a blood request near me?
Use the Donor Search and active Requests pages to filter by blood type, location, and urgency. You can also enable notifications so you're alerted automatically when a compatible request appears near you.
What happens after I respond to a blood request?
The requester or the coordinating hospital is notified that you've responded. You'll be able to coordinate donation timing and location directly through the platform, and once the donation is completed, it's verified and logged to your donation history.
Do I need to schedule an appointment to donate?
For a specific blood request, you typically coordinate a time directly with the requester or hospital through the platform. Some partner blood banks also support scheduled donation drives — check the request or partner listing for details.
Can I track my donation history?
Yes. Your dashboard keeps a record of every verified donation, including dates and locations, so you always have a full history of your contributions.
Account & Verification
How do I verify my account?
Go to your profile settings and complete the identity verification flow (ID upload plus a live face match). Verified accounts are marked with a badge and are prioritized when hospitals or requesters search for donors.
Can I sign up or log in using Google?
Yes, if Google sign-in is enabled on the platform you can register and log in with your Google account for faster access, in addition to the standard email and password option.
I forgot my password — how do I reset it?
Click "Forgot Password" on the login page and enter your registered email. You'll receive a secure link to set a new password. The link expires after a period of time for security.
Rewards & Badges
What are donor badges and how do I earn them?
Badges recognize your contributions — from your First Donation badge to Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Elite Life Saver tiers as you donate more and reach point milestones. Some badges, like Verified, are earned by completing identity verification.
Is there a leaderboard for top donors?
Yes, the donor leaderboard highlights top contributors based on donations and points, celebrating the community members making the biggest impact.
Partners
What is the iKumeed Partners program?
The Partners program lets hospitals, clinics, and corporate organizations coordinate blood requests, search verified donors, and manage donation drives through a dedicated Partner Portal.
How can my hospital or organization join as a partner?
Visit the Partners page and choose a plan that fits your organization, or reach out through our contact page. Once approved, you'll get access to the Partner Portal to manage requests and donor coordination.
Support
Is iKumeed free to use?
Core features — registering as a donor, searching for donors, and creating or responding to blood requests — are free for individuals. Some advanced features for partner organizations may be part of a paid plan.
What does becoming a supporter of iKumeed include?
Supporters can contribute monthly or annually to help fund and grow the platform's life-saving mission, where this feature is enabled. It's entirely optional and separate from donating blood itself.
Privacy & Data
How is my data protected?
We follow strict data protection practices outlined in our Privacy Policy, including secure storage of personal and verification data and never sharing your contact details publicly without consent.
Can I delete my account and personal data?
Yes. You can request account deletion from your profile settings or by contacting support. We'll remove your personal data in line with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.
Technical Support
The app or website isn't working properly — who do I contact?
Visit our Help Articles section for common troubleshooting steps, or reach out through the Contact page. Our support team will help resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Is iKumeed available as a mobile app?
Yes, iKumeed is available as a mobile app in addition to the website, so you can search for requests, respond to SOS alerts, and manage your donor profile on the go.