Health Days 2016

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World Blood Donor Day

Basic information:
Every year, countries around the world celebrate the World Blood Donor Day on June 14th. 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 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 man-made and natural disasters.

However, in many countries, demand exceeds supply, and blood services face the challenge of making sufficient blood available, meanwhile ensuring its quality and safety. An adequate supply can only be assured through regular donations by voluntary, unpaid blood donors. WHO’s goal is for all countries to obtain all their blood supplies from voluntary, unpaid donors by 2020.

Today, only 62 countries get close to 100% of their national blood supplies from voluntary unpaid blood donations, while 40 countries still depend on family donors and even paid donors.

The objectives of World Blood Donor Day 2016 are to:

Thank blood donors for their life-saving gift of blood and highlight the theme: “blood connecting us all”.
Create wider public awareness of the need for regular, unpaid blood donation, and inspire those who have not yet donated blood to start donating, particularly young people in good health.
Promote and highlight the need to share life by donating blood.
Focus attention on blood services as a community service, and the importance of community participation, to come up with a sufficient, safe and sustainable blood supply.
Reach self-sufficiency in safe blood and blood products based on 100% voluntary, unpaid donations.

Statistics of blood banks and blood donors in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the year 1436H
Number of Blood Banks - Saudi Arabia:

Total	Transfusion Center	Branch	Central
195	67	104	24	MOH
40	18	12	10	Other Government Bodies
67	44	23	0	Private sector
268	117	106	34	Total

Approved date:

Globally: June 14th, 2016

Locally: Ramadan 9th, 1437H

The theme of World Blood Donor Day 2016:

"Blood connects us all"

Targeted groups:

The youth.

Those experiencing different accidents.

Those undergoing major surgical operations.

Those with blood cancer or other types of cancers.

Those with genetic blood diseases such as anemia, sickle-cell anemia and Thalassemia.

Those working in the medical field, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists and health educators.

Those working in the education field including teachers, social workers and others.

Health decisions makers.

Medical organizations and bodies.

Main health messages:

The objectives of this year's campaign are summed as following:

Extending thanks to the blood donors for their life-saving donations.

Encouraging voluntary and unpaid donation.

Boosting the behaviors, those urge reducing the risks, in order for individuals to protect their health and donate safe blood.

Helping the Ministry of Health (MOH) achieve self-sufficiency in safe blood and safe blood products, meanwhile depending on the voluntary and free blood donations at a rate of 100%.

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