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

clinical use of blood products.Special attention has been givento continuous training, access toup-to-date information andguidelines. Accurate standardoperating procedures and goodmanufacturing practices at everylevel of the blood transfusionchain will make blood safer.National debatefocuses on qualityThe National Institute of TransfusionHaematology in conjunctionwith the Blood Transfusion Centreof Bucharest organized a specialevent on “Safe blood starts withme”. Public acknowledgement anddiplomas honoured the efforts ofeach Blood Transfusion Centre forits work over the last 50 years.This was followed by an open andfriendly scientific discussion onissues related to bloodtransfusion.Participants, in recognizingRomania’s progress, agreed tofocus in the future on the unmetagenda: self-sufficiency in bloodproducts; increased resources;Step-by-step explanation of the bloodtransfusion chain in Romaniaand sustained and well-definedresponsibilities in the bloodtransfusion system. Safe blood fortransfusion is now an essentialprerequisite of human and medicalnature—quality people leading toquality results—rather than of atechnical and economic nature. Inother words, the more involvedthe players, the more performantand rapid the results.Participants received a booklet ofthe presentations, covering eachstep of the blood transfusionchain.The voluntary, non-remuneratedblood donor—cornerstone of bloodtransfusion safety—needs to bemade aware from early childhoodof the impact of his gesture.Extensive mass media campaignsand raising a positive image ofBlood Transfusion Services areimportant ways to increase thenumber of low-risk, regulardonors.Distribution of materialsWHO “safe blood starts with me”materials were distributed all overthe country through the bloodtransfusion network and youngvolunteers, spreading the messagethat donating blood is a moralobligation and a civic right.Special teams visited schools toinstil the fact that giving bloodmust be an altruistic gesture, anexpression of commitment tomankind.One-to-one broadcast onnational radioA live programme on RadioRomania gave listeners nationwidethe opportunity to ask questionson the safety of procedures in theblood chain. They thereby learntall the basic why-when-howinformation on blood donation andtransfusion, and heard first-handfrom regular, voluntary blooddonors who shared theirexperiences and explained theirintrinsic motivation to help thosein need. A retired Red Crossassistant, for example, related hermemories of the Second WorldWar and the powerful feeling ofhuman solidarity in the bloodtransfusion services in the face ofadversity. Many young people,moved by her story, turned up thefollowing day to donate blood.Benevolent BloodDonor FoundationThis recently created foundationorganized a special event forhonorary voluntary, nonremunerated,regular blooddonors (those who have givenblood for more than five years).Their gesture of human solidarityand civic sense and their personalcontribution to health were75 ▲ WORLD HEALTH DAY ▼ SAFE BLOOD STARTS WITH ME