Blood Donation Day: History, Importance & Objectives

Do you know June 14 is celebrated as World Blood Donor Day?

Blood shortage is a prime concern of countries across the world. The concerns multiply when global health crises such as COVID-19 hit every nook and corner of the world. In such a scenario, campaigns or the celebration of honorary blood donations give health systems a ray of hope. The following sections focus on Blood Donation Day, its importance and the benefits of celebrating the day. Read along!

Observed on June 14 every year, World Blood Donor Day is an initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO).  WHO started this mission in 2004 to urge the Government and national health authorities to provide enough resources and develop infrastructure for increasing voluntary blood collection from donors.

June 14 is the Birth Anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, who was an Austrian Biologist and Physician. Karl Landsteiner won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1930 for the discovery of human blood groups.

You have now obtained basic information on blood donation day from the above discussion. Let's proceed to learn about blood donation day's importance, benefits, and objectives.

World Blood Donation Day is celebrated to create awareness regarding voluntary blood donation. Individuals who are medically fit and 18 years old can donate blood at the nearest blood bank and help in spreading awareness regarding the same. The worldwide celebration of this day helps to encourage youth to donate blood.

Reports show that India has the highest shortage of blood in the world and falls short of 41 million units of blood every year.  If more people voluntarily donate blood, the Government can reduce these cases of blood shortage.

Hence, celebrating World Blood Donation Day is important to ensure every individual who requires blood can get easy access to it.

The objectives of the Blood Donation Day campaign are as follows,

• Raising awareness of the necessity of safe transfusion of blood and its components.
• Imparting knowledge regarding the importance of unpaid, voluntary blood donation.
• Motivating and encouraging people who are not interested in donating blood in spite of being a healthy person.
• Thanking blood donors throughout the world and addressing the need for frequent unpaid donations.
• Encouraging youth to donate blood and inspiring others to do the same.  

Now that you have all the essential information about Blood Donation Day, you can understand the cause and importance of this day and voluntarily donate blood to save lives.