TEHRAN — Iran marked the World Blood Donor Day, June 14, in parallel with many other countries worldwide.

This year, the theme of the World Blood Donor Day is “Blood connects us all”, highlighting the common bond that all people share in their blood. The slogan, “Share life, give blood”, draws attention to the role that voluntary donation systems play in encouraging people to care for one another and promoting community cohesion.

On the occasion of the World Blood Donor Day director of Iran’s Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) announced that first comprehensive blood transfusion center will kick off in Tehran by the end of the current Iranian calendar month of Khordad (June 20), said.

“So far we had 11 centers in the capital which were not big enough so we are set to launch 5 comprehensive centers in association with Tehran’s Municipality in five different districts,” IRIB quoted Ali-Akbar Pourfatollah as saying.

Pourfatollah explained that there are 15,000 regular blood donors in Iran who donates blood twice a year.

Urging all countries to achieve 100 percent voluntary non-remunerated donations by 2020 Iran has achieved the goal set by the World Health Organization (WHO) 12 years earlier in 2008, he highlighted.

He went on to say that the blood donated in Iran is one of the healthiest in the world as no cases of HIV have ever been reported among those who received the blood.

Another official with the IBTO noted that 2.1 million people donate blood annually in Iran adding, “In other words there is a 27-donation of blood per 1000 population.” 

The number is 30 to 40 donations per 1000 population in developed countries and 10 donations per 1000 population in the region and compared to the aforesaid numbers Iran is in a good condition, Nima Hamoun pointed.

Concurrent with World Blood Donor Day we are planning on starting joint programs with Federation of Sport Climbing and Wushu Federation to wildly publicize blood donation in the country, Hamoun added.

Moreover, he stated, those donors who have so far donated blood for more than 100 times will be honored over a ceremony.

According to WHO, 62 countries collect 100 percent of their blood supply from voluntary, unpaid blood donors. Some 108 million blood donations are collected globally, half of these are in high-income countries. Meanwhile, blood donation by 1 percent of the population can meet a nation’s most basic requirements for blood.

MQ/MG