Younger Generations Donate Blood On World Blood Donor Day.

Younger generations donate blood on World Blood Donor Day.

BANGKOK, June 12 - Young people voluntarily donated blood today at the Thai Red Cross Society's National Blood Centre here on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day.

Presided over at the opening event under the theme 'More Blood. More Life 'by Phan Wannamethee, secretary-general of Thai Red Cross Society, and Dr Soisaang Phikulsod, director of the National Blood Centre, many people - especially youngsters - turned up to donated blood at the centre to celebrate the World Blood Donor. Day which will be observed worldwide this Tuesday.

Certificates were bestowed to 10 agencies which successfully met their target in collecting blood as well as to those who donated blood more than three times annually between 2000 - 2010.

World Blood Donor Day is organised yearly by Red Cross societies throughout the world to celebrate the birthday of Austrian doctor Karl Landsteiner, who received the Nobel Prize following the discovery of ABO blood types.

The United Nations World Health Organisation has targeted that each country should keep blood for about three percent of its total population in reserves.

Presently, Thailand is able to maintain 1.8 million units of blood in reserve which is equivalent to 2.9 per cent of the total population, slightly less than targeted requirements. (MCOT online news).

-- TNA 2011-06-12