Safe Blood Starts with Me - libdoc.who.int - World Health Organization

voluntary donors represented thefirst step towards the creation ofthe Association of Voluntary BloodDonors. A video documentary producedin Cambodia on bloodsafety, entitled “blood and life”was shown during this ceremony.With the active support ofMédecins Sans Frontières, otherNGOs and the local healthauthorities, a regional eventwas held the same day in thenorthern Province of Battambang,which has the second largestRegional Transfusion Centre afterthe NBTC in Phnom Penh.Local and foreign journalistswrote newspaper articlesconcerning blood safety issues inCambodia. published in two localnewspapers in French and inKhmer in late November 1999.The article raised issues related tothe lack of blood and the imbalancein donor types, especiallythe dependency on replacement/family donors and the lack ofvoluntary donations. This drewattention to the issue of safe bloodat an early stage of the campaign.Several articles were alsopublished in national circulationnewspapers in the days precedingWHD. The message of the RegionalDirector for WPRO, Dr ShigueruOmi, also appeared in Khmer.Two Karaoke video clipsfeaturing different aspects ofblood safety and voluntary blooddonations were produced starringwell-known Cambodian celebritiesand students getting together forexternal blood collections.Moreover, the sound track of thesekaraokes was very successful onlocal radio.Two spots were broadcast onnational television in February2000, and were still beingbroadcast months later.— The first spot features studentsreticent to give blood. A heatedconversation on buying blood isgradually cooled down by thedoctor of an external bloodcollection team, whounderlines the risks linked withpaid donors and teaches themabout voluntary blood donation.— Spot number 2 showsfishermen in a rice paddy,having received a leafletfrom the mobile van andarguing over whetherthey should give blood.The daughter of thefisherman opposed togiving blood announcesthat his wife is inhospital with postdeliverycomplicationsand urgently needsblood, leaving him facedwith his lack of altruism.A special budget was allocated toproduce a 26-minutedocumentary on the activities ofthe NBTC and safe blood issues inCambodia, timed for the openingceremony on 7 April. 50 copies ofthe film were distributed to theCRC and Provincial TransfusionCentres.The documentary was supportedby an additional set of 200 videocovers and 200 educationalposters, using the film’sbackdrop of images and theeducational message “Blood isLife—Go give Blood”.Official Safe Blood PosterThe introduction of the TVdocumentary served to produce anextra one-minute Public ServiceAnnouncement spot on theserious need for blood in relationto traffic accidents. The spotfeatures the emergency rescueambulance and an interview withof one of its doctors.Using the TV scripts, two radiospots were distributed to localbroadcasting stations,emphasizing WHD 2000 andaccompanied by supporting pressreleases.Two thousand T-shirts featuringthe NBTC and WHD 2000 logoswere widely distributed102 ▲ WORLD HEALTH DAY ▼ SAFE BLOOD STARTS WITH ME