World Blood Donor Day 2021: The day provides an opportunity to call to action to governments and national health authorities to provide adequate resources and put into place systems to increase the collection of blood from voluntary, non-renumerated blood donors. Safe blood and blood products and their transfusion are significant aspects of care and public health. Every day, they save millions of lives and improve the health and quality of various patients.
World Blood Donor Day is observed on 14 June to mark the anniversary of Karl Landsteiner. It was first celebrated in 2004 to spread awareness about the need for regular blood donations and its requirement to save lives. On this day, Blood Donors donate blood themselves to save the lives whether of accident victims or those who are in need of blood transfusion for the surgeries.
Do you know what is Blood Transfusion?
The transfer of blood or components of blood from one person i.e. donor into the bloodstream of another person i.e. the recipient. It acts as a lifesaving operation to replace blood cells or blood products lost through bleeding or due to depression of the bone marrow.
World Blood Donor Day 2021: Theme
The World Blood Day 2021 slogan is "Give blood and keep the world beating”. It highlights the essential contribution blood donors make to keeping the world pulsating by saving lives and improving the health of others. The day makes a call for more people to come forward from across the world to donate blood regularly and contribute to better health.
The theme for Blood Donor Day 2020 was "Blood donation and universal access to safe blood transfusion" to achieve universal health coverage. The slogan for the campaign was "Safe blood for all" to raise awareness about the universal need for safe blood in the delivery of health care.
The theme of World Blood Donor Day 2018 was “Blood connect us all” and the event is hosted by Greece. This day is celebrated to thank the blood donors, acknowledge them, and encourage blood donation and new donors. The slogan of this day was 'Be there for someone else, Share Life, Give Blood', which refers to the care given to others while donating blood.
World Blood Donor Day 2020: History
Every year on the birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner on 14 June, 1868, World Blood Donor Day is celebrated. This event was first initiated and established to be celebrated on 14 June, 2004 by the "World Health Organisation, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies” with an aim to raise public awareness about the need for safe blood donation voluntarily and unpaid by the healthy person.
In May 2005, WHO officially established with its 192 Member States, World Blood Donor Day at the 58th World Health Assembly in order to motivate all the countries worldwide to thank the blood donors for their precious step and saving lives of the people.
Objectives of celebrating World Blood Donor Day
- To provide a global platform to thank individuals who donate blood and to encourage those who have not yet donated.
- To raise awareness that blood donation action benefits society as a whole.
- To promote and support effective national blood donor programmes and the elimination of a dependency on family/replacement and paid blood donation.
- To promote the adoption of the Club 25 approach in various countries to encourage a commitment to regular, voluntary blood donation by young people at low risk of transmitting infection through their blood.
- To ensure and to promote international collaboration worldwide about the principles of voluntary non-remunerated donation, while increasing blood safety and availability.
- In order to maintain an adequate supply of blood for all patients throughout the year requiring transfusion.
- To encourage people to donate blood regularly on an unpaid basis.
- To promote low -risk behaviour so that individual can protect their health and be safe to donate blood.
The collaborative effort of the World Health Organisation in promoting and celebrating World Blood Donor Day with a proper theme to encourage people for blood donation and saving a life or to help who is in need of blood.
Important Days and Dates in June 2021
Source: WHO