Blood and donor services: the current state and development prospects

From June 9th to July 10th, in the Documents of International Organizations Reading Room (the 2nd floor, room 207g) is open a subject book exhibition "Blood and donor services: the current state and development prospects” dedicated to the World Blood Donor Day.

This holiday was proclaimed in 2004 at the suggestion of the international organizations calling to a voluntary and free blood donation: the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Federation, the International Organization of Blood Donor Organizations and the International Blood Transfusion Society. In May 2005 at the 58^th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva (Resolution WHA58.13) it was decided to observe this holiday annually on June 14^th.

This date has been timed to the birthday of Austrian physician and immunologist Karl Landsteiner  (1868-1943) who in 1930 won the Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine for his discovery of human blood groups.

The World Blood Donor Day is dedicated to volunteers who donate their blood free of charge in order to save the lives of others. Its purpose is to attract public attention to blood donorship which is such a noble deed, to express gratitude to people who respond to the increasing need of medicine for donor blood and its components. The task of the annual observance of the World Blood Donor Day is to improve the safety and efficiency of use of the blood reserve, and to provide 100 % voluntary gratuitous donation of blood and its components. A special attention is given to the development of national programs of blood donation with the purpose of increasing voluntary blood donors, especially among youth, and refusal to blood donation for money.

The World Blood Donor Day is celebrated in 192 countries of the world. Millions of people all over the world donate their blood to rescue people and help patients to overcome their illness. According to statistics, each third hospital patient needs blood components and blood products. Blood is the most valuable that a person can give to other person. This is a gift of life. At present, transfusion of blood and blood products is used in all branches of medicine to save the patient’s life and health. Every second all over the world people of any age and any origin have a need for blood transfusion. Very often, the success of urgent treatment depends on an efficient work of blood services and presence of qualitative blood components and blood products from donors who have voluntary donated their blood. To provide patient care institutions with blood and its products, it is necessary that 40-60 persons of each thousand people were donors. However, such level has been reached in the developed countries only. Though the need for blood is universal, unfortunately not each patient has free access to it. Every year donors all over the world donate more than 80 million dozes of blood. One doze makes 450 grams of blood. But, in spite of that, blood is lacking. The shortage of blood is felt especially sharply in developing countries where live 82 % of the world population, but only 39 % of donor blood are prepared. Most part of all blood reserves accounts for 18 % of the world population only. Therefore organizers of the World Blood Donor Day call to more and more people for blood donation, focus the attention on voluntary, gratuitous donor services, and expansion of programs on donor services with the state support.

The World Blood Donor Day has been celebrated annually in the Republic of Belarus. The donor service is welcomed and supported by our State. At present in the Republic of Belarus has been achieved the full satisfaction of the need for blood and its products. Introduction of modern technologies, satisfaction of the need for qualitative and safe blood components and blood products, rational use of blood products in public health organizations, preservation and augmentation of donor potential are the main task of Belarusian blood transfusion organizations at the present time.

The exhibition presents more than 60 documents in the Russian and English languages: books, brochures, periodicals and booklets. 

The exposition includes the subject sections as follow:

• Blood is the source of life. Promotion of blood donorship.
• Blood transfusion and blood donorship.
• The blood service in the public health system. Transfusiology.
• The current state, problems and perspectives of blood donorship in the Republic of Belarus.

The exhibition is designed for specialists in public health, physicians, research workers, professors, medical students and also everyone who is interested in the issues of public health and blood donorship.

Useful links

• The World Blood Donor Day
• The World Blood Donor Day 2010
• Blood safety and availability
• Blood transfusion
• The World Blood Donor Day official Web site
• The official Web site on blood donation and its components - the Blood Service
• Blood service in catastrophe medicine
• The Law of the Republic of Belarus of January 31^st, 1995, N 3559-XII "Blood donation and its components"
• The Law of the Republic of Belarus of November 12^th, 2001, N 58-З "Amendment to the Law of the Republic of Belarus of January 31^st, 1995, "Blood donation and its components"
• The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus Regulation of November 25th, 2002, № 1637 “Approval of the standards of obligatory providing of the state public health system with donor blood, its components and donor blood products, including creation of blood reserves in the event of an emergency”
• The Ministry of Public Health Order of May 10^th, 1993, № 76 "Strengthening of the state control of the quality of donor blood products, its components, blood substitutes and preservative solutions"