Participants during the World Donor Day Celebration in Juba/Courtesy SSRC

South Sudan Wednesday joined the rest of the world to commemorate the Blood Donor Day with calls on musicians to promote blood donation through songs.

Celebrated 14^th of June each year, the day was created to raise global awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products for transfusion.

It is also to highlight the critical contribution voluntary unpaid blood donors make to national health systems.

More so, to support national blood transfusion services, blood donor organizations, and other non-governmental organizations in strengthening and expanding their voluntary blood donor programs by reinforcing national and local campaigns.

The day also provides an opportunity to call to action governments and national health authorities to provide adequate resources to increase the collection of blood from voluntary, unpaid blood donors and to manage access to blood and the transfusion of those who require it.

This year’s theme is “Give Blood, Share Life, Share Often”.

Speaking during the Celebration of the Day in Juba today the Minster of Health Yolanda Awel Deng says the society is not doing enough to create awareness about blood donation

He urged artists to sue music for a wider awareness outreach on the importance of donating blood.

“We are not doing enough campaigns, we are not doing enough awareness to actually donate blood,

“There are a lot of people in this nation who can actually donate blood but the word is not reaching out properly and I accept that challenge,” she said, adding that: “I am throwing that challenge back to the artists to reach to their wider audience and compose songs on blood donation to create awareness.”
On his part, the Acting Director General of the National Blood Transfusion Services Gregory Wani said donation can save lives during emergencies.

‘Blood Transfusion service is an act of emergency because we do not know when the emergency is going to take place,

“Therefore I appeal to all to take blood transfusion service seriously and really support the intervention,” he stressed.

World Blood Donor Day was first celebrated in 2004 to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood.