Today is World Blood Donor Day. The day is observed every year on 14th of June with an aim to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products for transfusion and also to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood. The slogan for this year is ‘Donating blood is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives’.
Millions of lives are saved every year by transfusion of blood and blood products in patients suffering from life-threatening conditions and during complex medical and surgical procedures. It also has an important, life-saving role in maternal and child care and during the emergency response to man-made and natural disasters.
World Blood Donor Day is observed in order to support and provide an opportunity to health authorities to provide adequate resources to increase the collection of blood from voluntary, unpaid blood donors, as well as to manage access to blood and transfusion. It marks the Birth Anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, who first distinguished human blood into A, B, AB and O groups. As per the World Health Organization, blood donation by one per cent of the population is generally the bare minimum for meeting a nation’s most basic blood needs. According to available data, India fell short of the WHO standard by 1.9 million units or 15 per cent. Establishing a complete blood transfusion service that can serve as a network connecting Blood Collection Centres and coordination between Central and State Health Departments and relevant stakeholders will definitely improve access to safe blood and reduce blood shortage in India.
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