Dozens of persons came to the central park of Chisinau on June 14 to voluntarily donate blood on World Blood Donor Day whose theme this year is “Safe blood for saving mothers”, IPN reports.
Minister of Health Andrei Usatyi noted that the event in Moldova is held the tenth year and the number of volunteers who donate blood has doubled over the last few years. In Moldova, there are 23 voluntary donors per 1,000 people. The Government took a number of measures to modernize the blood donation service. “There was purchased modern equipment with the grants of €8 million provided by the EU. It was installed at the national blood collection station in Chisinau and at the regional station in Balti. In three weeks, we will set up another regional station, in Cahul,” said the minister.
He also said that the current blood collection service fully guarantees the inoffensiveness of the procedure and the safety of the patients who receive blood. “There are also donors with the RH factor that is rare. They are called at night to help persons in crisis situations. We ensure 80% of the necessary blood preparations from voluntary donors,” stated Andrei Usatyi.
Director of the National Blood Transfusion Center Svetlana Cebotari said this year’s theme of World Blood Donor Day aims to attract attention to the mothers who give birth and lose a lot of blood during delivery. “The women giving birth can die because of lack of blood. Fortunately, we haven’t witnessed such cases in Moldova for many years. But we must realize that the blood donors are very important because they ensure the continuous blood transfusion assistance,” she stated, adding that she has donated blood every two months for 20 years, since she entered the health system.
Representative of the World Health Organization in Moldova Jarno Habicht said that 800 women die daily worldwide because of loss of blood during delivery or because of compilations after giving birth. “Blood donation is welcome. On this day we celebrate the volunteers not only as persons who donate blood, but also as heroes who save lives,” he stated.
World Blood Donors Day is marked worldwide on June 14.
