Every year World Blood Donor Day is celebrated on the 14th of June, to raise awareness across the globe about the need for safe blood and other blood products and to tell the world that the unpaid and voluntary blood donors are a life-saving gift to the people suffering from various blood-related diseases and infections.
The slogan of World Blood Donor Day is; “Give blood and keep the world-beating”
From the treatment of plasma to emergency usage and research, blood donation has been termed the most vital cornerstone in the world of health.
Blood and its products are regarded as essential resources for the effective management of women who are suffering from bleeding issues during their pregnancy and childbirth. Blood transfusion is also necessary in the cases of accidents, natural disasters, trauma, or emergencies as well as other surgical and medical procedures. This day provides an opportunity for national health authorities and the government to provide adequate resources for increasing the collection of blood from voluntary, unpaid blood donors and further manage the access of blood for transfusion to those who require it.
World Blood Donor Day
World Blood Donor Day was created for a couple of reasons listed below:
- Highlight the contribution of unpaid and voluntary blood donors and their critical importance in the national health systems.
- It raises global awareness regarding the availability of safe blood transfusions and other blood products.
- To support the national blood transfusion services.
- Blood donor organizations and many other non-governmental organizations try to expand and strengthen the blood donation programs through different local and national campaigns specially designed for this day
- Spreads awareness about the national and private health authorities which provide resources to collect the voluntary blood donations and also manage to transfer them to the patients.
World Blood Donor Day – History
The history of blood donation goes way back when there was no proper science of blood transfusion. The blood transfusion was discovered by Karl Landsteiner as he discovered that human blood type ABO is the best kind of donor and that’s when blood transfusion gained popularity and became one of the most important components of the medical and health field.
World Health Day was commemorated first time in the year 2000 and it was primarily focused on safe transfusion of blood and blood donation of safe and clean blood when it was unanimously declared that World Blood Donor Day will be an annual event to be celebrated on 14 of June every year. This date was chosen as it marks the birthday of Karl Landsteiner.
World Blood Donor Day holds strong significance because it entirely focuses on the safe transfusion of blood for their betterment. This practice is indeed a major breakthrough in the healthcare industry. This day also commemorates the hard work of medical and health professionals who have worked beyond their capacity to develop and research the new technology and its uses for the blood donated by the volunteers.
How is World Blood Donor Day commemorated?
This day is celebrated across the world unanimously on the 14th of June every year. It is extremely important that countries take part religiously to stress the importance of blood donation and why it is mandatory for the healthier population to donate blood.
It is traditional to set up blood drive units across the workplace, institutions, universities, colleges, and schools on world blood donor day. People are informed beforehand about the blood drive and are urged to donate voluntarily.
They are also assured and informed prior that the process of blood donation is absolutely safe and is done under immense care as this contribution will be saving someone’s life or it will help in medical research.
Many non-profit organizations and institutions related to blood donation create banners, flyers, brochures, and posters and distribute them amongst their community to educate people about blood donation and the need for safe blood in the field of medical and health.
Another tradition that is religiously followed on World Blood Donor Day is that seminars and events are arranged for acknowledging everyone who participated and actively contributed to the blood donation drive and saving the lives of millions. People are urged to come forward and donate blood and take part in saving lives across the world.
How can we observe World Blood Donor Day?
There are a few pointers that you can do to observe World Blood Donor Day wherever you reside in the world. They are:
Donate Blood: If you are old enough to donate blood and are eligible, all you need to do is dedicate one hour of your day to donate blood. Once you arrive at the blood donation station, you will have to go through a mini-physical checkup to make sure that you are healthy enough to donate blood. Do it to save humanity!
Spread awareness: If you cannot donate blood yourself, or do not have time then spread the word about the blood donor day. Raise awareness about the importance of this day. Request your friends, family, and colleagues, or post on your social media platforms about how important this day is. There are a lot of people who are unaware of this day and word-of-mouth spreads faster than anything else in this world.
Participate in nearby events: Check out special events taking place nearby such as rallies, marches, blood donation drives, or sites where they’re celebrating the World Blood Donor Day. You can check out blood centers, and hospitals where special fun events are arranged to celebrate the 14th of June in order to maximize the voluntary blood donations.
Conclusion
World Blood Donor Day is commemorated across the globe and awareness is much needed. It is important to have safe and clean blood transfusions to save lives, continue the medical research process and support the medical and health needs of the world which cannot progress further without the abundance of blood donation.