9th June – World Blood Donor Day
Author and institutional affiliation: Yasiini Nuwamanya, Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program, Uganda National Institute of Public Health, Kampala. Correspondence: Tel: 256773120564, Email: ynuwamanya@uniph.go.ug
The commemoration of the World Blood Donor Day is meant to raise awareness about patients requiring lifelong transfusion support and emphasize the role every single person can play by donating blood.
The objectives are to celebrate and appreciate blood donors, encourage more people to donate, transform the quality of life for transfusion dependent patients, highlight the critical roles of voluntary blood donations in achieving universal access to safe blood products, and mobilize support at national, regional, and global levels among governments and development partners to invest in, strengthen, and sustain national blood programmes.
