Jordan | News | World Blood Donor Day 2015 “Thank you for saving lives”

World Blood Donor Day 2015 “Thank you for saving lives”

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World Blood Donor Day 2015 CelebrationAmman, 14 June 2015 – The National Blood Bank with the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization in Jordan, marked World Blood Donor Day 2015 under the slogan “Give freely, give often. Blood donation matters”, this day is an occasion to raise awareness of the need for regular blood donations to ensure quality, safety and availability of blood and blood products for patients in need.

The Ministry of Health emphasized the need to seek to spread the culture of voluntary blood donation to gradually replace the compensatory donation from the patient's family and friends to overcome the gap between the need for blood and its components and what is available in the blood banks.

The Ministry of Health adopted through a strategy based on reaching out to donors in their communities through intensive campaigns, especially universities public institutions, said Dr Ali Al Saad, the Director of Hospital Administration Directorate in Ministry of Health.

WHO highlights the fact that transfusion of blood and blood products helps save millions of lives every year. It can help patients with life-threatening conditions to live longer and with higher quality of life, and it 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.

“I urge all countries to continue to work hard to achieve 100% voluntary donation in our Region. Functional and effective blood transfusion services are a vital component of any national health system, and their contribution to reducing mortality rates have been well documented,” said Dr Maria Cristina Profili WHO Representative to Jordan in a speech delivered in this occasion.Group photo at World Blood Donor Day 2015 Celebration

Dr Profili also thanked all Jordanian voluntary blood donors and added that “Together, we should continue to support activities through active participation in blood donation campaigns and implementation of proven strategies to increase the number of units of safe blood collected”.

WHO has set a goal for all countries to obtain all their blood supplies from voluntary unpaid donors by 2020. In order to achieve that goal and ensure a sustainable and safe blood supply, there is a need to recruit and retain as many young blood donors as possible. 

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World Blood Donor Day 2015