Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoGENEVA / BLOOD
Download
There is no media available to download.
Share
STORY: GENEVA / BLOOD
TRT: 1:30
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 11 JUNE 2013, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, exterior of WHO building
11 JUNE 2013 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Neelam Dhingra, Coordinator for Blood Transfusion Safety, WHO:
“It is well recognized around the world that blood transfusion plays a lifesaving role to save lives of patients, particularly mothers and children in developing countries. And it is important to recognize that it is donating blood is a gift that individuals give to patients of life, and it has been recognized that reminding people that this is something they can give without having any harm to them is really going a long way to strengthening blood systems.”
NOVEMBER 2011 KHARTOUM, SUDAN
3. Med shot, blood donation
11 JUNE 2013, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Neelam Dhingra, Coordinator for Blood Transfusion Safety, WHO:
“It is extremely important to develop systems that based on voluntary unpaid donations as that system provides sustainability and also safe and sufficient blood supply for any country.”
NOVEMBER 201, KHARTOUM, SUDAN
5. Close up, blood donation
11 JUNE 2013, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Neelam Dhingra, Coordinator for Blood Transfusion Safety, WHO:
“Volunteer donors are recognized and proved to be the safest source of blood supply. The individuals who come of their free will to donate blood, and also provide a true history of their life-style and their medical history, are the ones that provide safe blood at much lower risk transmitting infections to patients. It has been seen by several studies that systems that are based on family replacement donors and paid donors are not sustainable and not reliable.”
NOVEMBER 2011 KHARTOUM, SUDAN
7. Med shot, bags of blood
8. Wide shot, blood center in Khartoum
On World Blood Donor Day, 14 June, The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for all countries to obtain 100 percent of their supplies of blood and blood products from voluntary unpaid blood donors by 2020.
The need for blood and blood products is increasing every year, and many patients requiring life-saving transfusion do not have timely access to safe blood and blood products, the agency said.
In 2011, nearly 83 million blood donations were collected worldwide from voluntary unpaid blood donors, an increase of close to 8 million donations from 2004.
Regular voluntary unpaid blood donors are the safest source of blood as there are fewer blood borne infections among these donors than among people who give blood in exchange for money or who donate for family members in emergencies, the agency said.
Dr. Neelam Dhingra, Coordinator for Blood Transfusion Safety at WHO, said “it is extremely important to develop systems that based on voluntary unpaid donations as that system provides sustainability and also safe and sufficient blood supply for any country.”
Dhingra said “regular voluntary unpaid blood donors are the safest source of blood as there are fewer blood borne infections among these donors than among people who give blood in exchange for money or who donate for family members in emergencies.”
Dhingra said “volunteer donors are recognized and proved to be the safest source of blood supply. The individuals who come of their free will to donate blood, and also provide a true history of their life-style and their medical history, are the ones that provide safe blood at much lower risk transmitting infections to patients. It has been seen by several studies that systems that are based on family replacement donors and paid donors are not sustainable and not reliable.”
Currently, 60 countries collect 100 percent of their blood supply from voluntary unpaid blood donors (35 are high-income countries, 18 middle-income countries and 7 low-income countries).
