On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Pakistan’s Ministry of Health joined hands in calling on people to urgently donate blood voluntarily to address a deficit that is severely limiting the ability of hospitals to save lives. Medical centres in Pakistan need over 5 million blood donations annually and will require 5.6 million by 2030. Currently, they receive around 2.3 million donations a year.  

Under the international theme ‘Give blood, give hope – together we save lives’, nearly 150 volunteers participated in a blood drive organized by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in collaboration with WHO. One of the first volunteers to donate blood was WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Dapeng Luo.

“Every patient who needs blood should be able to receive it. WHO will continue to work with Pakistan to strengthen a blood service that promotes voluntary donations and gives patients access to safe blood and blood products in sufficient quantity, as a key component of an effective health system. Voluntary blood donations can save lives and give hope to those in need. With a single donation, each of us can save up to 3 lives,” said Dr Luo.