In celebration of World Blood Donor Day, the city of Lleida hosted this year’s main event in Catalonia which served to thank voluntary unpaid blood donors for giving blood and raising awareness of the need for regular blood donations. This year’s theme, “Blood connects us all”, focuses on acknowledging the 200,000 blood donors in Catalonia.  

 

The President of the Catalan Government, Carles Puigdemont, described blood donation as “an act of justice and solidarity, which is crucial for a social, united, developed and loving community”.

 

To commemorate World Blood Donor Day, the President thanked donors their “great effort”, which makes the Catalan community “feel proud as a country”. Furthermore, he encouraged donors in Catalonia to “continue making Catalonia a global reference in terms of blood and tissue donations”.

 

During the ceremony, the President expressed that it was not enough to give blood in times of emergency and encouraged individuals, especially the younger generations, to volunteer as this contributes to a “cohesive community” and is essential when “building a new country”, he explained.

 

“The ends and beginnings of countries are not determined by legal documents, but by the commitment of each individual citizen” and with the solidarity they display “among themselves”, he affirmed the President.

 

The event was also attended by the Minister of Health, Antoni Comín, the Government’s Delegate to Lleida, Ramon Farré, together with the Mayor of Lleida, Àngel Ros, the President of the Provincial Government of Lleida, Joan Rañé and the President of the Federation of Blood Donors in Catalonia, Marc Ibars.

 

World Blood Donor Day was established by the WHO in 2004 to encourage wider awareness throughout the world about the need for availability and appropriate use of safe blood and blood products, as well as the need for many more people to make a commitment to regular voluntary unpaid blood donations.