On June 14, together with the international community, Turkmenistan celebrates World Blood Donor Day. Traditionally, on this day and the days preceding it, blood donation events are held in the country, in which everyone takes part. Gulnar Ahmedova, Deputy General Director for the Blood Center of the Directorate of Infectious Disease Centers, writes about this on the pages of the “Neutral Turkmenistan” newspaper.
The author notes that World Blood Donor Day is an occasion to say thank you to people who donate their blood on a regular basis. After all, the word “donor” comes from the Latin donare – “to give”. In the case of blood donors, the gift to the recipient is often life.
Donor blood is an indispensable therapeutic agent, a unique resource for treating sick people. And sometimes a patient’s life can only be saved by timely transfusion of blood and its fractions. It must be emphasized that transfusions of blood and its products make it possible to save millions of human lives every year around the world. And the global holiday is an opportunity to express gratitude to the millions of donors who save lives and improve the health of others by donating their blood.
For the first time in Turkmenistan, this date was celebrated in 2005, when at the 58th session of the World Health Organization, held in Geneva, a resolution was adopted approving the implementation of World Blood Donor Day as an annual event celebrated internationally to promote voluntary blood donation throughout the world blood.
The initiators of World Blood Donor Day on June 14 were four international organizations calling for voluntary and free blood donation - WHO, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations and the International Society of Blood Transfusion. The birthday of the Austrian scientist, immunologist Karl Landsteiner, who received the Nobel Prize in 1930 for the discovery of the ABO system for determining human blood groups, was chosen as the date for its holding.
Celebrating World Day raises awareness among thousands of people about the need for regular blood donation to ensure everyone has timely access to safe blood and quality-assured blood products, which is an integral part of universal health coverage and a key component of effective health systems.
A wide network of modern medical institutions equipped with innovative equipment has been created in Turkmenistan, which makes it possible to provide Turkmen citizens with a wide range of health care services. Today, medical specialists in Turkmenistan use in their work equipment that meets the most modern international requirements for healthcare institutions. The activities of the Blood Center, which is part of the Directorate of Infectious Disease Centers of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan, comply with all necessary WHO standards. About 100 thousand donors donate blood here annually, about 50 thousand liters of blood are processed, and various blood components are produced to supply hospitals.
The Center employs the best medical equipment and uses advanced technologies. The donor's blood goes a long way before reaching the recipient - it undergoes a thorough analysis and examination to identify any infections transmitted through blood. As a result, the therapeutic effectiveness of blood transfusion is significantly increased and the risk of adverse reactions and complications is reduced.
However, everyone must remember that the only and irreplaceable source of blood can only be a healthy person, only a donor - any capable citizen aged 18 to 60 years. To do this, you must have your passport with you. Donors donate 350–450 ml of blood. In gratitude for his gift, in accordance with the legislation of Turkmenistan, the donor is entitled to two days off (the day of giving blood + a day of the donor’s choice). Before donating blood, the donor is examined by a doctor, his blood type and hemoglobin level are determined, and a mandatory blood test is performed for viral hepatitis B and C and other diseases transmitted through blood. Each donor has his own individual disposable blood collection system. Therefore, infection of the donor is completely excluded.
Donors can give blood no more than five times during the year. After donating blood, you can donate blood again only after 60 days, plasma - after 30 days. After five regular blood donations, it is recommended to take a break of at least three months. After donating plasma, at least 14 days must pass before the donor can donate plasma or blood again.
