As Nigeria joins the world to mark the 2020 World Blood Donor Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for more people globally to save lives by donating blood periodically.
WHO made this call in its official website saying that the WBDD was marked on June 14, 2020.
This year, it is celebrated with the Theme, “Safe Blood Saves Lives” with the slogan “Donate Blood to Make the World a Healthier Place”. It is used to focus on the contributions the donors can make to improve the health of others in various communities.
WHO said the need for safe blood is universal. Safe blood is essential in treatments and urgent interventions. It allows increase in the hope and quality of life of patients with life-threatening diseases and it carries out complex medical and surgical procedures.
It is also essential to treat the wounded during emergencies of all kinds i.e. natural disasters, accidents, armed conflicts, etc and plays an essential role in maternal and newborn care.
Despite this, access to safe blood remains a privilege for few. Most low- and middle-income countries have difficulty obtaining safe blood because donations and blood testing equipment are lacking. Globally, 42% of blood donations are made in high-income countries where only 16% of the world population lives.
The only way to ensure a sufficient supply of safe blood is through regular, unpaid donations.
Owing to the necessity of blood donation as an intervention to saving lives, the World Health Assembly in 2005 designated a special day to thank blood donors and encourage those who have not yet donated blood to do so.
The objectives of this year’s campaign are to honour and thank blood donors and encourage those who have not yet donated to do so, raise awareness of urgent need for more safe blood to use where and it is needed to save lives.
