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Today, 14th of June 2019 is celebrated globally as World Blood Donor Day.\u00a0The theme for this year is \u201cSafe blood for all\u201d.
\nThe need for blood and blood products is universal, but access to safe blood and blood products varies greatly across and within countries. In many countries, it is challenging for blood services to make sufficient blood and blood products available, while also ensuring its quality and safety.<\/p>\n
The key messages WHO wants to convey on this day are:
\nEveryone should:
\n\u2022 Become a blood donor today and help save lives.
\n\u2022 Commit to being a regular donor and give blood throughout the year.
\n\u2022 Encourage your friends and family to become regular blood donors.
\n\u2022 Volunteer with the blood service to reach out to members of your community, provide care to donors, and help manage blood donation sessions\/drives.
\n\u2022 Find out your blood type and register as a blood donor.
\nParticipate in local World Blood Donor Day events.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Ministries of Health should:
\n\u2022 Organize and participate in activities to celebrate World Blood Donor Day, promoting voluntary unpaid blood donation to the public, across government and to other sectors.
\n\u2022 Acknowledge the important role of blood donors in achieving the goal of \u201csafe blood for all\u201d and universal health coverage.
\n\u2022 Provide resources and infrastructure to facilitate voluntary blood donation.
\n\u2022 Support the development of nationally coordinated blood transfusion services that provide equitable access to safe and quality assured blood transfusions for the whole population.
\n\u2022 Put quality assurance systems in place for blood and blood products.
\n\u2022 Download and distribute WHO\u2019s World Blood Donor Day materials to health centres.
\n\u2022 Speak to media about the importance of blood donation and the successes and challenges of your country in meeting national needs for blood.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dailyrounds.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/blood1.png\")
<\/p>\n
National blood transfusion services should:
\n\u2022 Disseminate information about the importance of giving blood.
\n\u2022 Print out and distribute posters that you can download from the World Blood Donor Day campaign web site.
\n\u2022 Organize a World Blood Donor Day celebration. This could include:
\n(i) Inviting prominent politicians, celebrities and sporting heroes to participate;
\n(ii) Producing, displaying and disseminating promotional materials such as t-shirts, caps and stickers.
\n(iii) Holding open days at blood centres and inviting the public to learn about blood donation and transfusion;
\n(iv) Organizing blood drives, highlighting the need for year-round donation to maintain adequate blood supplies and achieve universal and timely access to safe blood transfusion.
\n\u2022 Improve the infrastructure for blood donation and blood donor care.
\n\u2022 Focus attention on donor health and care and provide quality service to blood donors.<\/p>\n
Blood and blood products are essential to care for:
\n\u2022 Women with pregnancy and childbirth associated bleeding;
\n\u2022 Children with severe anemia due to malaria and malnutrition;
\n\u2022 Patients with blood and bone marrow disorders, inherited disorders of haemoglobin and immune deficiency conditions;
\n\u2022 People with traumatic injuries in emergencies, disasters, and accidents; and
\n\u2022 Patients undergoing advanced medical and surgical procedures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today, 14th of June 2019 is celebrated globally as World Blood Donor Day.\u00a0The theme for this year is \u201cSafe blood for all\u201d. The need for blood and blood products is universal, but access to safe blood and blood products varies greatly across and within countries. In many countries, it is challenging for blood services to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":5373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[626,627,625],"class_list":["post-5370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-blood","tag-blood-donation","tag-world-blood-donor-day"],"yoast_head":"\n