Keep the heart of the World Blood Donor Day beating: a challenge in times of COVID-19

Abstract

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When this article was written, we had just closed the celebrations of the 2021 “World Blood Donor Day”, which was assigned to Italy in 2020 and then postponed because of the pandemic. This annual global event aims to pay tribute to all voluntary donors for their valuable gift as well as to raise people’s awareness of the importance of regular donations in order to ensure high-quality blood for use in healthcare systems. Every year many lessons can be learned from the celebration, which represents the occasion to gather many global actors in this field and to share experiences and challenges. The choice of Italy as the host of the event was an important acknowledgement of the many strengths of the country’s healthcare system. Universality, equity, solidarity and high-quality healthcare for all citizens are the values and strengths of the Italian National Health Service. It provides high-quality emergency, hospital and primary healthcare to all citizens without discrimination based on income, gender or age. A well-performing national health service requires a transfusion system based on ethical principles and social values, fully compliant with national and international legislation. In Italy, voluntary, periodic, responsible, anonymous and not-remunerated donation of blood is the basis of the system and it is the core value of donor associations, responsible for the recruitment and retention of donors. [ ... ]