This year, World Blood Donor Day will once again be
celebrated around the world on 14 June. The event serves to thank voluntary,
unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood and also to raise
awareness of the need for regular blood donations to ensure that all
individuals and communities have access to affordable and timely supplies of
safe and quality-assured blood and blood products, as an integral part of
universal health coverage and a key component of effective health systems.
Transfusion of blood and blood products save millions of
lives every year. Blood and blood products are essential components in the
proper management of women suffering from bleeding associated with pregnancy
and childbirth; children suffering from severe anemia due to malaria and
malnutrition; patients with blood and bone marrow disorders, inherited
disorders of hemoglobin and immune deficiency conditions; victims of trauma,
emergencies, disasters and accidents; as well as patients undergoing advanced
medical and surgical procedures.
Although the need for blood and blood products
is universal, there is a marked difference in the level of access to safe blood
and blood products across and within countries. In many countries, blood
services face the additional challenge of making sufficient blood and blood
products available, while also ensuring its quality and safety.
Visit the World Health Organization website for more
information
