Every blood donor is a hero
World Blood Donor Day Announcement, June 14, 2012
On June 14, 2012, countries around the world will celebrate World Blood Donor Day and hold events to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and express gratitude to all donors who voluntarily and gratuitously donate their blood to save the lives of others.
Every year, transfusion of blood and blood products can save millions of human lives, helps to increase the life expectancy and improve the quality of life of patients suffering from life-threatening health disorders, as well as supports complex medical procedures and surgical operations. In many countries, the demand for blood exceeds the supply, and blood services face the problem of forming sufficient blood supplies while ensuring its quality and safety. To date, in 62 countries, the basis of national blood reserves is 100 percent (or more than 99.9%) voluntary gratuitous blood donations. However, 40 countries still depend on family and even paid donors, and voluntary unpaid donors provide less than 25% of their blood supplies. The goal of the World Health Organization (WHO) is to ensure that by 2020 all countries will have stocks of blood received entirely from voluntary unpaid donors.
The global theme of World Blood Donor Day is updated annually as a sign of appreciation to selfless people who donate their blood for people they don't know at all. In 2011, to express appreciation and gratitude to voluntary blood donors, ceremonies honoring donors and various events were held all over the world – from the formation of "drops of human blood" in public places to the coloring of widely known graphic images in red. Such events and events served as powerful symbols on this day and helped to attract individual communities to strengthen voluntary gratuitous donation in all countries. Heads of State, members of royal families and celebrities contributed to the celebrations. This was also facilitated by a variety of activities at the level of individual communities and activities aimed at young people.
Every blood donor is a heroFor the World Blood Donor Day 2012 campaign, the theme "Every blood donor is a hero" was chosen, which is based on the idea that each of us can become a hero if we donate our blood.
This topic expresses gratitude to the humble and unsung heroes who save human lives every day thanks to blood donations, and also urges that an increasing number of people around the world voluntarily and regularly donate their blood.
This year's campaign aims to:
- express gratitude to people who donate blood and increase their self-esteem to continue regular blood donations;
- inspire people who don't donate blood and have good health to donate blood;
- encourage blood service staff to express appreciation for their "heroic" deeds every time donors donate blood; and
- to convince the Ministries of Health of the need to demonstrate their appreciation of blood donors and to provide adequate resources for the transition to 100% voluntary gratuitous blood donation.
Every day, the heroes satisfy emergency blood needs for transfusions, regardless of the conditions in which they are, even if they are not comfortable for them, putting the needs of other people above their own. Voluntary blood donors are people from different walks of life, living in different regions and in different conditions, of different faiths and ages. By deciding to donate blood freely of their own free will, without any reward, these people commit "heroic" acts, acts of human solidarity with a powerful potential to save human lives. Some of them have repeatedly committed these actions for several decades.
The theme chosen in 2012 also finds a wide response among other ordinary "heroes", such as firefighters, policemen, rescuers, civil rights activists and defenders of progressive social ideas and the interests of individual communities. This opens up opportunities for establishing strong links between people and events in connection with the World Blood Donor Day. For example, while the attention of the whole world will be focused on the 2012 Olympic Games in London, blood services, blood donor associations and other institutions will have the opportunity to attract the "heroes" of sports to conduct awareness-raising work regarding voluntary gratuitous blood donation at the local, national and international levels.
Every year, a country is chosen to organize a global event, which is the focus of an international information campaign to promote World Blood Donor Day. In 2012, the global event will be held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and will be organized by the Korean Red Cross Society and the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea.
Joint work for the World Blood Donor DayYour participation and support will help ensure the broad impact and active impact of World Blood Donor Day 2012, contributing to a deeper understanding around the world that blood donation is a heroic act of solidarity that saves lives.
The enthusiasm and participation of interested partners at all levels are welcome for the successful implementation of the World Blood Donor Day. International organizations, including the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations, the International Blood Transfusion Society, the Association of Specialists in Attracting Donors, the American Association of Blood Banks and others, continue to work in close cooperation to provide guidance and support to their members in the implementation of this activity.
We also encourage you to join the WHO World Blood Donor Day Global Network and enter the virtual space for the exchange of materials and information regarding voluntary blood donation. We hope to expand this network in 2012 and later. For more information on how your organizations can become members and join the network, please contact us at: worldblooddonorday@who.int .
In the coming months, additional information and promotional materials, as well as additional resources for the campaign in different languages, such as graphic images, will be posted on the WHO website dedicated to World Blood Donor Day. Visit this website and share your ideas, methodological materials and event plans.
We wish you success in celebrating the World Blood Donor Day 2012.
World Health Organization
Geneva, Switzerland
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru14.06.2012