Baghdad, 13 June 2012 – The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO, commemorated World Blood Donor Day 2012. The event took place today at the National Blood Transfusion Centre in Baghdad. High-level delegates from the Government of Iraq, blood donors, civil society members, international community and media attended the celebration.
The objectives were to raise awareness regarding the importance of safe blood and blood products and to honor all voluntary unpaid donors for their contribution towards saving life. “Everyone of us can become a hero by giving blood”, stated Dr Abd Sattar Jabar, Deputy Ministry of Health for Technical Affairs on behalf of H.E Dr Majeed Hamad Amin, the Minister of Health in Iraq, adding that, “On this day, I want to acknowledge heroes who save lives every day through their blood donations, and strongly encourage more people to donate blood voluntarily and regularly for their own health and for saving the lives of others.”
Dr Syed Jaffer Hussain, WHO Representative in Iraq, stated that “Timely availability of safe blood and blood products enhances the survival chances of many people in need of blood transfusion. He added that, "Safe blood transfusion has helped to save millions of lives every year. It can help improve life expectancy and the quality of life for patients suffering from life-threatening conditions, and supports complex medical and surgical procedures.”
In Iraq, demand for blood transfusion outstrips supply, and blood services face the challenge of making sufficient blood available, while also ensuring its quality and safety. In 2010, only 56 713 blood collections were recorded in 354 blood donation campaigns. Dr Yaqoub Al-Mousawi, Director of the National Blood Donation Centre stated that, “the blood donation, by at least 1% of a country’s population, is generally sufficient to meet a country’s basic requirements for safe blood”. Dr Al-Mousawi calls for more collaborative effort to raise the awareness of community on the importance of taking part in saving lives by donating blood.
WHO reaffirms its commitment to support the Ministry of Health in ensuring availability and safety of blood supplies through the implementation of the programme funded by European Union aimed at strengthening blood transfusion services in Iraq in order to meet, in a timely fashion, the needs of the population, particularly those that are most vulnerable such as patients requiring emergency medical care.
Baghdad, 13 June 2012 – The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO, commemorated World Blood Donor Day 2012. The event took place today at the National Blood Transfusion Centre in Baghdad. High-level delegates from the Government of Iraq, blood donors, civil society members, international community and media attended the celebration.
The objectives were to raise awareness regarding the importance of safe blood and blood products and to honor all voluntary unpaid donors for their contribution towards saving life. “Everyone of us can become a hero by giving blood”, stated Dr Abd Sattar Jabar, Deputy Ministry of Health for Technical Affairs on behalf of H.E Dr Majeed Hamad Amin, the Minister of Health in Iraq, adding that, “On this day, I want to acknowledge heroes who save lives every day through their blood donations, and strongly encourage more people to donate blood voluntarily and regularly for their own health and for saving the lives of others.”
Dr Syed Jaffer Hussain, WHO Representative in Iraq, stated that “Timely availability of safe blood and blood products enhances the survival chances of many people in need of blood transfusion. He added that, "Safe blood transfusion has helped to save millions of lives every year. It can help improve life expectancy and the quality of life for patients suffering from life-threatening conditions, and supports complex medical and surgical procedures.”
In Iraq, demand for blood transfusion outstrips supply, and blood services face the challenge of making sufficient blood available, while also ensuring its quality and safety. In 2010, only 56 713 blood collections were recorded in 354 blood donation campaigns. Dr Yaqoub Al-Mousawi, Director of the National Blood Donation Centre stated that, “the blood donation, by at least 1% of a country’s population, is generally sufficient to meet a country’s basic requirements for safe blood”. Dr Al-Mousawi calls for more collaborative effort to raise the awareness of community on the importance of taking part in saving lives by donating blood.
WHO reaffirms its commitment to support the Ministry of Health in ensuring availability and safety of blood supplies through the implementation of the programme funded by European Union aimed at strengthening blood transfusion services in Iraq in order to meet, in a timely fashion, the needs of the population, particularly those that are most vulnerable such as patients requiring emergency medical care.
