Brazil wants to boost voluntary blood donor rate

As part of the celebrations of the World Blood Donor Day (June 14), Health Minister Arthur Chioro said Brazil wants to boost its blood donor rate, currently at 1.8% of the population aged between 16 and 69, to 3% of potential donors.

The Ministry of Health reports that blood bag collections rose 4.5%, going from 3.5 million to 3.7 million between 2013 and 2014. According to the minister, Brazil meets the standard percentage of voluntary donors set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and stands out among other countries around the world. But expanding the number of regular donors will enable the country to ensure an emergency supply and higher quality blood products.

“Ideally there would be a community of Brazilians who really understand the importance of giving. Disposals tend to be lower with steady donors and greater safety,” the minister explained.

In order to mark the World Blood Donor Day, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has chosen Brazil to host a meeting of Latin American, Caribbean, and African countries to discuss advancing initiatives and boosting voluntary blood donations as a strategy toward self-sufficiency in blood components and products.

At the meeting, Brazil will support a ban on blood trade and paid donations. According to the Health Minister, offering gratuities to blood donors carries safety threats to the system. According to the Ministry of Health, only 12 of the 42 countries in the Americas have a 100% unpaid voluntary donation policy, including Brazil.

“We have strongly stood up in international forums against any possibility of trading in blood. Blood [donations] should be as outlined by our Constitution: unpaid and voluntary, an act of love and altruism. We have experienced it [paid donations] in the past and it proved a complete disaster,” Chioro said.

A blood donor for over ten years, Erilânia Cardozo was recognized by PAHO and the Ministry of Health as an outstanding young blood donor in Northeast Brazil last year. She regards blood donations as an act of love of our neighbors. “We should grow out of only doing things for rewards,” she said.

Translated by Mayra Borges