Today, June 14, the world celebrates World Blood Donor Day. On this day, we thank donors for their vital contribution and aim to draw attention to the need for regular voluntary donation. Safe blood supplies and their components are essential for saving lives in surgery, obstetrics, oncology, and transplantation. Only through voluntary donation can we ensure a reliable supply of medical facilities and create an effective healthcare system.
Sufficient supplies of safe blood can only be ensured through regular donations by voluntary donors. That is why, in 2005, the World Health Assembly established a special day to express gratitude to donors and encourage people to donate more blood.
For reference: 125 years ago, Austrian physician Karl Landsteiner classified blood into groups. This made blood transfusions a routine medical practice. In 1930, Karl Landsteiner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery.
Currently, blood donation is a harmless and safe procedure. It is safe for healthy people and helps strengthen the immune system. The donor's body's adaptive response is enhanced, hematopoiesis and immunity are stimulated, the risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced, and regular donation "starts a program" of rejuvenation. Only single-use sterile collection systems are used when collecting blood, so the risk of infection is completely eliminated.
Any adult citizen of the Republic of Belarus or a permanent resident of the country, aged 18 to 65, with no medical contraindications, can become a donor. Before donating, the donor receives a free complete blood count, blood pressure measurement, a general examination, and screening for infections. If necessary, the donor may be referred for consultation to another healthcare facility.
The donation of blood and its components involves several stages: registration, clinical and laboratory testing, a medical examination, breakfast, and the donation procedure.
During registration, the donor provides the following documents:
Belarusian passport (or other identification document, including a Belarusian residence permit);
military ID;
extract from the donor's medical records regarding their health status, including the results of a chest X-ray;
gynecological examination results (for women);
electrocardiographic data.
Next, as part of the clinical and laboratory testing, the donor undergoes a complete blood count and a medical examination. A specialist physician from the blood service organization conducts a general examination of the donor, measures blood pressure, determines pulse rate, measures body temperature, and decides whether or not to allow the donor to donate blood and its components. The decision is made in accordance with the list of contraindications for blood collection established by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus.
Before the donation, the donor also eats breakfast provided by the blood service organization. During the donation, the donor is seated in a chair, a tourniquet is applied to the middle third of the upper arm, and the skin around the elbow is treated with an antiseptic. A 450 ml blood sample is collected from a vein. A portion of the blood (up to 40 ml) is also collected for clinical and laboratory testing (for markers of HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, etc.). The blood is collected in a special container (disposable, sterile). After the procedure, an aseptic pressure dressing is applied to the venipuncture site for at least 4 hours. The procedure lasts approximately 10-15 minutes. The donor's well-being is monitored during the donation and for at least 30 minutes afterward.
When preparing to donate, the following requirements must be met:
Maintain a healthy lifestyle, observe personal and public hygiene rules, and maintain a work and rest schedule; Do not come to the donation site if you are showing signs of illness (fever, runny nose, cough, headache, sore throat, high or low blood pressure), have an acute or exacerbation of a chronic illness, are taking medications (including preventative medications), or are fatigued (after excessive physical exertion, working at night, etc.); Refrain from drinking alcoholic (low-alcohol) beverages and beer 48 hours before the donation, and from smoking 2 hours before.
Do not plan to donate immediately before exams, competitions, during an intensive period of work, before work (after work), at night;
Follow a diet: the day before and on the day of donation, exclude fatty, fried, spicy, smoked foods, dairy products, eggs, butter, bananas, citrus fruits, nuts, seeds from your diet; On the morning of the donation day, have a light breakfast (sweet tea, jam, bread, crackers, pretzels, boiled cereals, pasta with water without oil, juices, fruit drinks, compotes, mineral water, vegetables, and fruit (except citrus fruits and bananas)). Donating on an empty stomach is not recommended.
To donate, you must weigh at least 55 kg and no more than grade 2 obesity.
Guarantees and compensation for donors are defined by Law of the Republic of Belarus dated November 30, 2010, No. 197-Z (as amended on October 14, 2022) "On the Donation of Blood and Its Components." The law provides for an employee's release from work for the entire working time (shift) on the day of donation, with retention of their average earnings for that day (shift), and for full-time students, from the educational process. On the day of donation, donors are provided with free meals or compensation, and expenses related to their donation are reimbursed.
By their act, a blood donor inspires their loved ones and colleagues: when people see that donating blood is simple and important, they are inspired to take the step themselves. A single example can spark a wave of good deeds, uniting society around the idea of mutual aid and saving lives.
