Introduction:
Every year, on 14 June, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day. The event serves to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood and to raise awareness of the need for regular blood donations to ensure the quality, safety, and availability of blood and blood products for patients in need.
Transfusion of blood and blood products helps save millions of lives every year. It can help patients suffering from life-threatening conditions live longer and with a higher quality of life, and supports complex medical and surgical procedures. It also has an essential, life-saving role in maternal and child care and during the emergency response to man-made and natural disasters.
Key Facts:
- Blood transfusion saves lives and improves health.
- Blood donation does not weaken the body.
- There is no substitute for human blood; the gift of blood is the gift of life.
- Sickle cell patients may require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.
- One donation can help save the lives of up to three people
- Platelets help blood clotting, giving those suffering from leukemia and other tumors a chance to live.
- There are approximately 108 million blood donations worldwide.
- In low-income countries, up to 65% of blood transfusions are given to children under 5 years of age.
- In 73 countries, more than 90% of their blood supply is collected from voluntary, unpaid donors.
Objectives of World Blood Donor Day:
- To engage authorities in the establishment of effective national blood donor programs with the capacity to respond promptly to the increase in blood demand during emergencies.
- Focus attention on blood services as a community service, and the importance of community participation, to come up with a sufficient blood supply.
- To promote and highlight the need to share life by donating blood.
- To promote the integration of blood transfusion services into national emergency preparedness and response activities.
- To raise public awareness of the need for regular blood donation throughout the year in order to maintain an adequate supply of blood and achieve self-sufficiency at the national level.
- To make people more aware of the need to donate blood regularly.
- To celebrate and thank individuals who donate blood regularly and to encourage young people to become new donors as well.
- To promote international collaboration and to ensure worldwide dissemination of and consensus on the principles of voluntary non-remunerated donation, while increasing blood safety and availability.
Official Date:
Globally: June 14th, 2018.
Locally: Ramadan 30th, 1439H.
Theme of World Blood Donor Day
“Be there for someone else. Give blood. Share life”
"Blood Connects Us All"
Subject of World Blood Donor Day:
The theme of this year’s campaign is blood donation as an act of solidarity. It highlights the fundamental human values of altruism, respect, empathy, and kindness which underline and sustain voluntary unpaid blood donation systems. We have adopted the slogan, “Be there for someone else. Give blood. Share life”, to draw attention to the roles that voluntary donation systems play in encouraging people to care for one another and generate social ties and a united community.
This year's campaign aims to highlight stories of people whose lives have been saved through blood donation, as a way of motivating regular blood donors to continue giving blood, and to motivate people in good health who have never given blood to begin doing so, particularly young people. Activities may include commemorative events, meetings, publication of relevant stories, scientific conferences, publication of articles in national, regional and international scientific journals, and other activities that would help in promoting the theme of this year’s World Blood Donor Day.
Objectives of World Blood Donor Day:
- To celebrate and thank individuals who donate blood and to encourage those who have not yet donated blood to start donating;
- To raise wider awareness that blood donation is an altruistic action that benefits all of society and that an adequate supply can only be ensured through regular donations by voluntary, unpaid blood donors;
- To highlight the need for committed, year-round blood donation, in order to maintain adequate supplies and achieve national self-sufficiency of blood;
- To focus attention on blood donation as an expression of community participation in the health system, and the importance of community participation in maintaining sufficient, safe and sustainable blood supplies;
- To promote the community values of blood donation in enhancing community solidarity and social cohesion and in encouraging people to care for one another and build a caring community;
- To promote international collaboration and ensure worldwide dissemination of and consensus on the principles of voluntary non-remunerated donation all over the world.
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