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

Secretary of State and Governor of Jalisco with other delegatesFocus on the State ofJaliscoThe State of Jalisco intensified itsalready committed informationcampaign to promote voluntary,non-remunerated blood donation.With the Department ofCommunication and under theauspices of the Secretary forHealth, a variety of materials suchas posters, documents and leafletswith poignant visual images andmessages were distributedthrough the State health medianetworks.On 6 April, a press conferencetook place with the Director-General of Health Services, DrHéctor Gallardo Rincón and otherkey personnel from healthlegislation and transfusionmedicine. The importance ofaltruistic blood donation formedthe basis of a press release, madeavailable to all communicationsmedia.An official ceremony in theAuditorium of the HospitalGeneral de Occidente on 7 Aprilwas highly mediatised andhonoured by the participation ofthe State Governor and the UnderState Secretary for Health, amongother notable dignitaries. To thebackdrop of key blood safetyimages, participants heardmessages from WHO and apersonal message from the StateGovernor, an extract of which isrelated below.“Today, we must double our effortsto move gradually from family tovoluntary blood donations.Hopefully, in a not too distantfuture, all Jalisciens in a positionto do so will give blood regularlyso that others, less fortunate, willlive or benefit from treatment thatonly this noble and altruisticgesture of life blood can makehappen. Our deepest thanks go toall who give blood, to the mediathat support us, and to all healthprofessionals who care about theoptimal use of this preciousresource—a real gift of life.”The Governor then set theexample for all his colleagues bybeing the first voluntary blooddonor of the podium.Focus on the State ofCoahuilaThe State Blood TransfusionCentre (CETS) was inaugurated in1990 as a blood bank for thequality control of centresmanaging blood components andthe supply of these around theclock. It also regulates bloodbanks and transfusion servicesthrough periodic controls to verifythat safety procedures areasurred. The State’s goal is toincrease altruistic and autologousdonors and minimize transfusionrisks and counts, today, 75 publicand private organizations relatedto bloodtransfusion.“... theCentre isopen toblooddonors 24hours/day”World HealthDay 2000means “GiveLife”. Bloodhas always hada special placein the historyof localcultures, representing differentemotions: symbolism, mysticism,colour, fear, terror, sadism, alifeline, pain, love, racism,42 ▲ WORLD HEALTH DAY ▼ SAFE BLOOD STARTS WITH ME