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

Let’s Participate inSafe Blood ActionMinisterial meeting on WorldHealth Day 2000(extract from Chinese HealthPictorial)On 7 April 2000, a meeting on thetheme of this year’s World HealthDay—“Safe blood starts withme”—was organized by theMinistry of Health in the People’sGreat Hall of Beijing. The meetingcalled upon society to support themovement for increased blooddonations from voluntary, nonremunerateddonors, and urgedthe general public to participateactively in this challenge.Madam Peng Peiyun, Vice Chair ofthe Standing Committee of thePeople’s Congress and Presidentof the Chinese Red Cross said thatsince the establishment of theBlood Donation Law, initialprogress had been made inincreasing the numbers ofvoluntary, non-remunerated blooddonors. However, arduous effortsneed to be made to establish amechanism for promoting suchdonations throughout China. Shecalled on government leaders atall levels to raise awareness of theneed to implement the BloodDonation Law with a sense ofresponsibility and urgency.Madam Peng said that thePeople’s Congress at all levelswould play their role in thisendeavour, and that the Red Crossshould to be closely involved inmobilizing healthy, eligible peopleto participate, voluntarily, in theblood donation movement. It wasimportant, she concluded, toincorporate the concept ofaltruistic blood donation withinthe context of health education foradolescents.In his speech, Health MinisterZhang Wenkang invited the healthsector nation wide to respondactively to WHO’s appeal, toeducate the public on bloodrelatedknowledge, and build up anew concept that safe blooddonation does you no harm. TheMinister added his support toincreasing the numbers ofvoluntary, non-remunerated blooddonors in China. Meanwhile, thelegislation and regulations for safeblood management, blood testingcapacity, and the scientific andrational use of blood for clinicalpurposes, still needed to beperfected.Many other presentations weremade at the meeting, which waschaired by Dr Wang Longde, ViceMinister for Health.Following the meeting,government leaders and the WHORepresentative visited thecounselling and advocacyactivities taking place in thecommercial streets of Wang Fujingand Xidan in Beijing. ▲For further information on bloodsafety activities in China, contact:Dr Feng GaoVice DirectorShanghai Blood Centre (WHOCollaborating Centre)1191, Hong Qiao RoadShanghai 200051Tel: +86 21 6278 1789Fax: +86 21 62958414E-mail: shblood@public.sta.net.cnInternet: www.sbc.org.cn106 ▲ WORLD HEALTH DAY ▼ SAFE BLOOD STARTS WITH ME