Blood transfusion key for effective healthcare, emergency response: WHO

Blood transfusion is the cornerstone of effective healthcare and emergency responses said Saima Wazed Regional Director for WHO SouthEast Asia on Friday ahead of the World Blood Donor DayWorld Blood Donor Day is marked annually on June 14 This year the theme is ldquoGive blood give hope together we save livesrdquoThe day honours the silent heroes among us voluntary unpaid blood donors whose simple yet powerful act of donating their blood saves countless lives each dayWazed noted that to build resilient national health systems it is essential to have the critical and continuous need for safe blood and blood productsYet many people especially in low and middleincome countries do not have access to safe and timely transfusion servicesldquoBlood transfusion is a cornerstone of effective healthcare and emergency response From mothers experiencing complications during childbirth to children suffering from severe anaemia to patients undergoing surgery or living with chronic blood disorders like thalassemia haemophilia and sicklecell disease blood saves livesrdquo said the Regional DirectorldquoIn crisis situations such as natural disasters or conflict timely access to safe blood is often the difference between life and deathrdquo she addedWazed said that strong national systems and a stable base of voluntary unpaid donors who are willing to give blood regularly are key to achieving universal access to safe bloodMeanwhile the Regional Director noted that all countries in the WHO SouthEast Asia have developed national blood policies aligned with the global health bodyrsquos recommendations on blood safetyThese policies advocate for nationally coordinated blood transfusion services based on 100 per cent voluntary nonremunerated blood donations VNRD and adherence to national or internationally recognised blood standardsldquoCurrently nearly 50 per cent of our Member States have achieved close to 100 per cent VNRD coverage contributing significantly to the blood supply required for national health systems Across our region approximately 82 per cent of all donated blood is sourced from voluntary unpaid donors reflecting strong community engagement and donor motivationrdquo Wazed saidFurther Wazed stated that all blood collected in the SE region is screened for transfusiontransmitted infections TTIs and tested for the necessary serological parametersShe urged all governments health authorities to renew support for national blood transfusion programmesldquoOn World Blood Donor Day 2025 let us remember that each blood donation is not just a medical act it is an act of compassion commitment and hope It is a lifeline to someone somewhere who may never meet their donor but whose life was touched foreverrdquo Wazed saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever