That precious red liquid

In Malta, we have been celebrating International Blood Donors Day since 1987, soon after its official inauguration at the International Federation of National Blood Donors Associations' (FIODS) meeting in Singapore. The Malta Blood Donors Association (MBDA) was also founded in that year.

Initially it used to be held on November 25. Some years later it was moved to March 25. A few years ago FIODS, WHO, Red Cross and Red Crescent Society and the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) decided to hold this day together on June 14, and renamed it World Blood Donors Day.

Since the aim is to create awareness among the general population about the importance of blood donations, in Malta we translated it loosely to Jum Dinji ta' l-Ghoti tad-Demm meaning World Blood Donation Day.

The idea is to underline the importance of blood donation as an essential health service and the fact that blood donors are an essential part of the health care team. Blood donation is a necessary infrastructural service which is run by qualified professionals but in collaboration with the voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors.

These blood donations are needed everyday all the year round including Sundays, and public holidays, as well as Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Blood is needed by all patients undergoing major surgery - leukaemic patients, thalassaemic patients, severely anaemic patients irrespective of the cause of the anaemia, patients suffering from major trauma particularly, traffic accidents and injuries at the workplace, burns, cancer, renal and heart transplants, heavy bleeding internal and external, complications of pregnancy, before, during and after delivery, plasma exchanges, particularly for Guillain Barré, Myasthenia Gravis and TTP, and a host of other conditions.

Moreover, blood is needed not only at St Luke's and in future at Mater Dei, but also in private hospitals and clinics and, occasionally in homes. Blood is issued to every patient needing a blood transfusion irrespective of race, colour, religion, sex and age. In fact, when it comes to blood transfusion we only speak of blood groups A, B, AB and O, all over the world.

Thank you blood donors for the lives you have saved. Please continue sharing this precious red liquid running in your veins. Make the blood circulate, not only in you but also in others.

Routine blood donations take only five to 10 minutes in all, though one has to wait for another 20 to 30 minutes, while being served with some refreshments, before leaving. Women may donate every four months and men every three months, and from 17 years up to 65 years, health permitting.

One never knows when it is one's turn to need blood and if one ever needs it, one expects to find it. So if one starts donating blood as from today, one will be helping others who need blood now, and possibly contribute to one's own need for blood in the future. One may also pre-deposit his/her own blood when undergoing elective surgery. If everyone thinks on these lines, we will have a continuous sufficient supply of blood without the need of having to make appeals because of acute shortages.

After a career in the blood transfusion service and donating blood in my younger days, I myself benefited from this service during my recent cardiac surgery.

I take the opportunity to thank once more all blood donors for their altruism and, the nurses, technical officers, scientific officers and doctors for their dedication and professionalism.

Please donate blood, save lives, blood is needed urgently today, tomorrow it may be too late!