TEHRAN- Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) announced the blood provided by regular donors hit a new high in the first 8 months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2018- November 21, 2018), making up 60 percent of total donations.

According to IBTO Spokesperson Bashir Haji-Beigi, the safety and health of the blood provided by regular donors is 8 times higher than those provided by first time donors, Mehr news agency reported on Saturday.

Regular blood donor is a person who donates blood at least twice a year, said Haji-Beigi. 

In the past 8 months, 2,346,882 units of blood and blood products including packed red blood cells, plasma, and platelet were distributed among hospitals and medical centers, he said. 
Over this period, three provinces of Tehran, Fars, and Khorasan Razavi were the top providers of donated blood, composing 30 percent of total donations, he noted.

According to World Health Organization, the safest blood donors are voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors from low-risk populations. The World Health Organization’s goal is for all countries to obtain all their blood supplies through voluntary unpaid donors, in accordance with World Health Assembly resolution 28.72, which was adopted back in 1975. 

SJ/MQ/MG