• 2023 WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY
KATHMANDU, JUNE 13
The World Health Organisation South-East Asia Region today said it had continued to accelerate action to ensure that everyone had timely access to sufficient and secure blood and blood products, and safe transfusion services everywhere.
WHO's South-East Asia region comprises 11 countries, including Nepal. According to a media statement released by Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO regional director for South-East Asia World Blood Donor Day, blood is the very source of existence for all humans. Globally, blood transfusions save millions of lives annually and enhance the life expectancy and quality of life of patients with life-threatening conditions, some of whom require regular transfusions for the rest of their lives.
"Availability of quality-assured, safe blood and blood products in a sustainable way is therefore essential for a resilient health system. This sustained availability of safe and quality blood can be ensured through unpaid voluntary blood donation," she said.
In the South-East Asia Region, around 19.4 million units of blood are collected, which constitutes around 0.94 per cent of the region's population donating blood. Ideally, any country's requirement for safe blood can be met easily if 1 to 3 per cent of the total population donates on a regular basis. Of the 11 member states, only three have achieved 100 per cent voluntary non-remunerated donations (VNRDs) while the rest of the member states are striving to achieve 100 per cent VNRDs.
WHO is supporting member states in establishing the capacity for plasma fractionation and stopping the wastage of plasma. In a bid to support this initiative, WHO has published 'Guidance on Increasing Supply of PDMPs in LMICs Through Fractionation of Domestic Plasma'.
The slogan for 2023 World Blood Donor Day campaign is 'Give blood, give plasma, share life, share often.' It highlights the importance of giving blood or plasma on a regular basis to create a safe and sustainable supply of blood and blood products that can be always available all over the world so that all patients in need can receive timely life saving treatment.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 14, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
