To commemorate the World Blood Donor Day today, at least 36 people voluntarily donated blood to save life of patients at the Aweil Civil Hospital in Northern Bahr el Ghazal Sate.
The theme for 2023 World Blood Donor Day is: “Give blood, give plasma, share life, share often.”
Held at the Aweil Freedom Square, the event was organized by Medicine Sans Frontiers, SMF, in conjunction with the state Ministry of Health.
Several celebrants offered to donate blood. One of them Riing Kenyang, who has donated blood 13 times since 2019, echoed calls to donate blood.
“I want to say I have been donating blood since 2019 after hearing the information through Akol Yam Radio that the hospital lacked blood to save the lives of sick people. I decided to go and donate,” Kenyang recalled.
“Since then, I have been donating almost after every three months. And today, I am still going to donate for the 13th times. I am narrating this to show you that there is nothing wrong in donating blood to save others.”
For his part, the medical director for the public hospital, Wol Wol Akeen, said the health facility often receives patients that are in need of blood transfusion.
“I want to give thanks to those who have been donating; and please don’t give up because we still have many sick people at the hospital that need our support,” Wol said.
He revealed that some health professionals at the hospital some time donate whenever the blood bank is empty and a patient must be saved.
“Some time, even us the doctors do donate when we see the gap. So, let’s all try to visit hospital every month and try to give blood.”
The World Blood Donor Day focuses on patients requiring life-long blood transfusion support and underlines the role every single person can play, by giving the valuable gift of blood.
The day is celebrated to say lots of thank to the voluntary and unpaid blood donors all around the world for saving millions of lives.