World Blood Donor Day

Every year on 14th June, the countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day to raise awareness about the requirement for blood donation since its inception in 2005. 

Objectives

The World Blood Donor Day celebrates the unpaid blood donors for their life-saving contribution, to encourage others to start donating.

It is also dedicated to ensuring that all individuals and communities have access to timely supplies of safe and quality assured blood and blood products affordably, as an integral part of universal health coverage.

Background of World Blood Donor Day

Blood transfusion saves many lives every year. It aids patients suffering from life-threatening diseases (like Heart attacks, Lung problems, Hypertension)  to live longer and supports complex medical and surgical procedures. Many countries have an insufficient supply of safe blood, and due to this reason, blood services face the challenge of maintaining an ample amount of blood supplies with quality. 

History of World Blood Donor Day

During the 58th World Health Assembly, in May 2005, the health ministers from all across the world declared their support towards voluntary blood donation in recognition of the requirement of blood transfusion to save millions of lives. And they designated the World Blood Donor Day an annual event to be held on 14th June.

This day also brings a precious opportunity to the donors to commemorate the birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner (a scientist who received the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the ABO blood group system) on 14th June.

The theme of World Blood Donor Day

The theme highlights all the notions of ‘sharing’ and ‘connection’ amongst blood donors and patients. The campaign theme for 2020 is ‘Safe blood saves lives’, and the slogan is ‘Give blood and make the world a healthier place.’ The idea behind the campaign is to focus on the contribution an individual can make to improve the health of others.