“Donare” means “to give”!

April 20 is the Russian National Donor Day.

Donor Day is one of the youngest significant dates in the international calendar of events, although the first mentions of attempts to “share” blood were known even among the warriors of ancient Greece. Since then, science has made this process efficient and safe.

The word “donor” comes from the Latin “donare” — “to give”. In the case of blood donors, the gift for the recipient is often life.

Officially, World Blood Donor Day was established in May 2005 during the 58th session of the World Health Assembly on the initiative of WHO and the Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations.  It is celebrated on June 14 – the birthday of the famous immunologist Karl Landsteiner, who made a grand discovery in 1930. He found that people have different blood types, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

National Donor Days are held in different countries at different times. In Russia, the history of the origin of Donor Day is also associated with a big event in medicine. On April 20, 1932, the Soviet obstetrician-gynecologist Andrey Wolf performed a very risky procedure at that time – the first blood transfusion in the country, which saved the life of a woman in labor in a serious condition. It is on this day that the Russian National Donor Day is timed.

It is known that donated blood saves millions of patients suffering from various diseases from death. Especially when providing emergency medical care and surgical interventions. Only in one NMIC of radiology, almost 22.5 thousand surgical interventions are performed per year! According to the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, about 1.3 million people became blood donors in Russia in 2021.

To become a member of this honorary cohort, you need little: to be over 18 years old, have a passport and no contraindications. It is also necessary to know how to properly prepare for blood donation: exclude alcoholic beverages two days before the procedure, follow a special diet on the doctor’s recommendation a day before blood donation. Do not smoke on the day of visiting the donor point, be rested, sleep well. There are differences in blood donation for men and women and some restrictions due to past and chronic diseases. All this will be told by the doctor at the donor point or by calling the hotline to anyone who wants to become a donor for the first time.

Each of the branches of the NMIC of Radiology of the Ministry of Health of Russia has its own blood transfusion departments that provide blood transfusion (blood transfusion) during operations, complete donor banks for cancer patients, conduct plasmapheresis (blood purification), hemodialysis. Our bank collects more than 1,4 thousand liters of canned blood in a year alone.

Recently, our Center has entered the Federal Register of Potential Bone Marrow Donors and this will help doctors save more than one life with such a formidable disease as unfavorable variants of lymphomas. Donor cells often become the last chance for recovery.

According to the FMBA, 2.2 million donations (blood donation procedures) are performed in Russia per year.

More than 60% of blood donors in the country are young people and this is great! We all remember that being a donor means giving life!

You can make an appointment for blood donation by phone: 8 (495) 945 67 27

Press Service of the NMIC of Radiology of the Ministry of Health of Russia