World Blood Donor Day Observed on 14 June 2025 Amid India's Crucial Blood Supply Gap.
Important Days
On June 14, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners celebrated World Blood Donor Day under the theme: “Give blood, give hope: together we save lives.” The day honors voluntary, unpaid donors and raises awareness about the global need for safe and sufficient blood. A single donation can save up to three lives, underscoring its vital public health impact.
- India requires around 1.2 crore units of blood annually, but only collects approximately 90 lakh, resulting in a shortfall of 30 lakh units—a deficit that can swell to 50% during summer months. Genuine voluntary donations remain below 50%, with the remainder sourced from family replacements or paid donors, contributing to safety and ethical concerns around the so-called “red market” .
- On World Blood Donor Day, Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar announced a state-level policy—“No Shortage, No Wastage”—to better coordinate blood collection and distribution. Measures include seasonal balancing, centralized NOC (No Objection Certificate) controls, and NAT (Nucleic Acid Testing) rollout in public blood banks to enhance safety and reduce wastage
- Institutions across India marked the day by recognizing donors: the SGPGI in Lucknow felicitated 50 regular donors, while events in Ranchi collected over 500 units from new and repeat donors.
Main Point :- (i) The WHO continues to appeal for regular voluntary, unpaid donations, urging national governments to invest in sustainable blood programs and promote universal access to transfusion services.
(ii) World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) was first launched in 2004, co-organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations (IFBDO), and the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT).
(iii) In 2005, the 58th World Health Assembly officially established June 14 as WBDD, aligning it with the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the Nobel Prize–winning Austrian biologist whose 1901 discovery of the ABO blood group system revolutionized safe transfusions.
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