The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for increased regular blood donations on World Blood Donor Day, June 14, to save millions of lives throughout the world each year.
WHO has invited potential blood donors in the South-East Asia Region and around the world to "join the effort" to save lives, improve health, and advance health equity by donating blood on a regular, voluntary, and unpaid basis to celebrate World Blood Donor Day.
Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, said that "A total of 118.5 million blood donations are received worldwide, with about 40% coming from high-income countries, which account for only 16% of the global population. The bulk of blood transfusions in low-income countries are provided to children under the age of five and to treat pregnancy-related issues, making regular donations by unpaid volunteers an important tool in the battle against maternal, neonatal, and child mortality."
"An estimated 2 million additional units of blood are urgently needed in the Region from voluntary unpaid donors to help patients of all ages live longer and with a higher quality of life, to support complex medical and surgical procedures, and to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC), health system resilience, and Health for All," Singh said.
Singh also underlined the importance of national action plans for blood donation, stating that several priorities must be addressed. The policymakers and programme managers are the first. They should reassess and, if necessary, update national blood action plans, as well as mobilise adequate and sustainable funding to carry them out.
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