United Nations – The number of countries collecting blood supplies from voluntary unpaid donors increased by more than 50 per cent between 2002 and 2008, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The organisation made the announcement at the the beginning of a week-long series of events aimed at encouraging voluntary donations to mark the World Blood Donor Day observed on June 14.

Neelam Dhingra, Coordinator of Blood Transfusion Safety at WHO, said the goal of the organisation was for all countries to obtain all blood supplies from voluntary unpaid donations by 2020.

The official said nine years ago, 39 countries were obtaining all their blood supplies from voluntary, unpaid donors however in 2008 that figure had gone up to 62.

“We hope that World Blood Donor Day will encourage more people in more countries to become regular voluntary blood donors,” a WHO statement quoted Dhingra as saying.

World Blood Donor Day is celebrated each year to highlight the contribution voluntary, unpaid blood donors make to public health.

This year’s slogan “More blood, more life” aims to encourage  more people to come forward to give blood and save more lives, WHO said.

According to the UN, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this year’s host for World Blood Donor Day, Ban Soon-taek, the wife of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon helped launch a week’s activities
that included, special football matches and a national marathon.

WHO estimates that blood donations by at least one per cent of the population is generally sufficient to meet a country’s basic requirements for safe blood.

Requirements are higher in countries with more developed health systems, the health agency said, noting that the greatest needs include replacing blood lost in childbirth and treatment of severe anaemia that threatens the lives of thousands of children who have malaria or are malnourished. (NAN)