Ziqitza Healthcare - World Blood Donor Day
                     Ziqitza Healthcare - World Blood Donor Day
World Blood Donor Day was first distinguished by the World 
Health Organisation during the 58th World Health Assembly 
in the year 2005. It was marked as a global event to raise 
awareness about blood donation and its positive impact. Over 
the years, it has brought together people from various parts 
of the world to raise awareness and talk about the 
importance of blood donation. Ziqitza Healthcare, one of 
India’s leading healthcare organisation, points out that World 
Blood Donor Day is also celebrated to mark the birthday of 
Karl Landsteiner, an Austrian American immunologist, 
pathologist, who won the Nobel Prize in the year 1930 for his 
discovery and development of ABO blood group system and 
modern blood transfusion.
Ziqitza Healthcare Ltd states that for an ailing patient, blood is 
more valuable than gold. Ziqitza further explains that World Blood 
Donor Day is a joint collaboration between the World Health 
Organisation, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red 
Crescent Societies. The day is one of the eleven official public 
health campaigns marked, launched and advocated by the World 
Health Organisation.
 India, on an average, donates around 11 million units of blood, 
against the required 13.8 million units. According to the World 
Health Organisation, the blood reserve of a country should be 
equivalent to 1% of its population. By this logic, Ziqitza Rajasthan 
explains that India experiences a deficit of 2.8 million units. Over 
the years, India has made tremendous strides in improving 
healthcare infrastructure, and has witnessed increased 
investments in improving accessibility to healthcare infrastructure. 
The union government has introduced many schemes and policies 
that aim to improve the primary healthcare within the country with 
the focus not just on preventive healthcare, but also on promotive 
and curative healthcare.
Since Ziqitza Limited is one of India’s leading healthcare 
organisation and is closely associated with many healthcare 
professionals across the country, it explains that, with the aim 
to promote blood donation and increase awareness about it, 
the central government has advised the state governments to 
set up blood group testing facilities at PHCs (primary 
healthcare centres), CHCs (community health centres) and 
hospitals at district level. The Union government has advised 
all states and union territories that such initiative will prove 
beneficial during the times of emergencies, and also during 
blood donation. The government has advised all government 
ministries, health institutions, and medical colleges to organise 
such initiatives on June 14, to mark the World Blood Donor 
Day.
ZHL Rajasthan points out that blood donation in India are 
shrouded under many misconceptions and myths which act as 
roadblocks in voluntary blood donations. India must address these 
chains of misinformation and raise awareness on the benefits of 
blood donation. This can be achieved by organising various 
awareness drives at community levels. Government, private sector 
and NGOs can leverage their combined capabilities and resources 
to conduct such awareness sessions in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, or in 
areas with limited accessibility to healthcare infrastructure. 
Ziqitza Limited Rajasthan says that such campaigns can also be 
organised in schools. In order to raise awareness about blood 
donation, the importance of blood donation can be taught in 
schools as part of syllabus with use case scenarios. This would 
prove beneficial in incorporating youth as the agents of change 
and they can mobilise the community in favour of voluntary blood 
donation. 
Ziqitza Health Care Limited explains that World Blood 
Donor Day acts as a timely reminder to everyone. Blood 
donation is the noblest cause of all and it doesn’t cost 
anyone a single penny. India must look at adopting blood 
donation as an altruistic social practice. Voluntary blood 
donation around the world suffered gravely due to the 
outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The movement 
restrictions, and the fear of catching COVID-19 infection 
due to blood transfusion, caused voluntary donors to 
refrain from donating blood. However, there is no 
scientific evidence or a single incident in the world, 
wherein a person would have got infected with COVID-
19 due to blood donation.
Blood donation as a social practice must be adopted and it 
is only possible when all social stakeholders responsible 
for acting as agents of change will combine their efforts 
and take cohesive and concerted actions to achieve it. 
There are innumerable numbers of patients whose lives 
can be saved, if they have access to easy and safe blood. 
We don’t need to be doctors to save lives. We can save 
lives by donating blood. Everyone can donate blood, 
except for people who are on certain medications or have 
certain ailments. Your physician can better guide you in 
this. Ziqitza urges every citizen to realise it as their social 
responsibility and donate blood as often as possible.