Celebration Of World Blood Donor Day

14 Jun 2005

By Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Senior Minister Of State For Information, Communications And The Arts And Health

Venue: The Padang - Singapore Recreation Club

It is a great pleasure for me to be invited to this very special occasion to celebrate World Blood Donor Day with all of you here tonight.  A special occasion because it provides us with a unique opportunity to honour and thank these very special people among us tonight who have made a voluntary and conscious decision to give the most precious gift that anyone can give to another person. These altruistic and generous hearted individuals donate their blood of their own free will, and with no expectation of any reward other than the personal satisfaction that they have helped to save someone's life. Because of their extraordinary generosity, safe blood is available for all patients who need transfusion. Let us applaud these silent heroes of our community.

On this day - 14th June last year, the first World Blood Donor Day was celebrated worldwide in order to thank the millions of blood donors throughout the world who donate blood altruistically on a regular and voluntary basis.  More than 70 countries celebrated this event with such great success that the WHO Health Assembly has just designated it as an annual event globally, as part of efforts to ensure safe and available blood transfusion worldwide.

Safe blood saves lives but, for too many patients around the world, blood transfusion is either not available or not safe.  As we celebrate World Blood Donor Day here in Singapore, we should take some time to reflect on how fortunate we are to have a blood supply founded on the principles of voluntary and altruistic blood donation. Twenty five years ago, the WHO identified voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation as the cornerstone of a safe blood supply.  Last year WHO again highlighted the need for a substantial increase in the number of voluntary and unpaid blood donors in all countries to ensure that safe blood is always available for every patient needing transfusion therapy.

Blood is commonly used for women with complications of pregnancy, children with severe anaemia, accident victims and surgical and cancer patients.  Because blood can only be stored for a limited period of time before use, a regular and constant supply is necessary to ensure that it will always be available whenever and wherever it is needed.  This can only be achieved if a sufficient number of healthy people choose to donate blood regularly and on a voluntary basis.

Voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors are people who give blood of their own free will and receive no payment for it, either in the form of cash or in kind which could be considered as a substitute for money.  Evidence around the world demonstrates that patients who receive blood from voluntary donors who give blood regularly are at the lowest risk of acquiring infections transmitted through transfusion. There is a lower frequency of HIV and other infections transmitted by blood transfusion among voluntary donors, compared to replacement donors or paid donors.  This is because voluntary blood donors are motivated solely by altruism and have no reason to conceal why their blood may be unsafe.

Blood donors must be honest in answering questions about their health and lifestyle when they go to donate blood.  Any blood donor who engages in high-risk behaviour can pose a serious risk to the patients who receive their blood, and should not give blood.  Although blood is tested for infections such as HIV, hepatitis and syphilis, the test may not detect very recent infection.  This means that even though blood may test negative for a particular infection, it might still infect a patient receiving a blood transfusion.  While testing is essential, it alone is not sufficient to prevent the spread of infection through transfusion.  The first and most important line of defence against transfusion-transmitted infections is still collecting blood from the safest possible donors.

World Blood Donor Day is a good occasion to encourage our blood donors to maintain healthy lifestyles, to protect both their own health and the health of the patients who receive their blood.  Although the blood bank carefully selects blood donors to make sure that blood donation will cause no ill effects to them or to the patients receiving their blood, everyone involved in blood transfusion has an important part to play in making sure that blood is as safe as possible.

In Singapore, blood donation is voluntary and blood is not sold here.  There is, however, a common misconception among many people that patients in our hospitals have to pay for blood.  This is not true.  Patients are not charged for blood.  However, when patients receive a blood transfusion, they pay a blood processing fee which covers the cost of the consumables, test kits, and other material resources needed to collect, prepare, test and administer the blood and blood components. This fee remains heavily subsidised for Singaporeans, and the public can be assured that we are committed towards ensuring that blood transfusion remains affordable and safe for our patients.  Donors can also be assured that the blood they donated is never sold.

Regular blood donors tend to be the best recruiters of new donors and personal communication is one of the most effective means of spreading the word.  It is heartening to learn that many of our regular and committed donors have come together to form a Blood Donors Club to advocate the message of regular voluntary non-remunerated blood donation.  I am sure that this new initiative will be the start of a fruitful new partnership between our blood donors and the blood bank in encouraging blood donation as an integral part of a healthy lifestyle.

I am also happy to see the strong involvement of our hospitals, both public and private, in participating in the celebrations around World Blood Donor Day.  When everything is said and done, the blood bank is about people.  Although it is a part of the community, it cannot do everything on its own and needs the support of partners at all levels.  I hope that following World Blood Donor Day, all the many organisations and people present here today will continue to work together towards ensuring the adequacy and safety of our blood supply here in Singapore.

In closing, let me refer to the slogan for this year's World Blood Donor Day, which is 'Celebrating Your Gift of Blood'.  On behalf of our community and of the many patients whose lives you have saved, I salute and congratulate all our Blood Donors for their gift of blood.  Thank you for your Gift of Life.

Thank you.