The South African National Blood Services (SANBS) kick-starts National Blood Donor Month 2021
We know better than most that millions of South Africans need blood transfusions to lead healthy lives each year. If it weren’t for voluntary blood donations, who knows what people would have to do to get blood when they needed it? Who knows how many people would have access to safe blood when they needed it?
The South African National Blood Services (SANBS) kick-starts National Blood Donor Month 2021 with a special focus on honouring the dedicated donors who heed the humanitarian call to donate blood while inspiring others to do the same.
This year, World Blood Donor Day finds us recovering from a unique set of circumstances that brought the world to its knees. Even amidst the pandemic, our annual observance has in no way lost its significance and importance. With hosts of people still receiving blood transfusions in hospitals, the need for blood has not slowed down.
This amazing effort during a moment of exceptional distress exemplifies the importance of collaboration, while encouraging the Government and National Health authorities to support the development of necessary resources, systems and infrastructure, to boost the collection of blood from unpaid, voluntary donors.
In honour of Youth Month, we’re reminded of young people’s long history of activism, proactiveness, and banding together for a shared cause. And as such, the international #GiveBloodAndKeepWorldBeating movement taps into the youth’s idealism and passion for bringing vital causes to life, such as that of those in need of blood. Additionally, the movement strives to create change, improve health, and raise global awareness about the significance of blood donation on a regular basis.
“Attempts to save lives have been at the forefront of all blood donors’ minds, and we want to thank them for their involvement and support. The growing realization across the globe that giving blood is a life-saving act of solidarity, and that services that provide safe blood and blood products are a crucial part of any healthcare system is amongst the core reasons we encourage you to continue donating and raising awareness on the importance of doing so” said Ravi Reddy SANBS CEO.
It is worth noting that the involvement and support of blood donors are most effective when individuals commit to donating regularly. The task of getting donors to commit regularly is a great challenge and we hope that through hearing and reading shared stories from people whose lives have been saved by blood transfusions, people are motivated to adopt regular blood donation. We encourage more people to take up the cause and become life-savers by pledging to donate blood regularly on Monday, 14 June 2021.
Happy World Blood Donor Day! #WBDD2021
To find out more about where you can donate blood, visit sanbs.org.za or call 0800 11 90 31. Don’t let South Africa run out of safe blood. Donate today.
