KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has urged the public, particularly the youth, to come forward and donate blood voluntarily while calling on federal and provincial governments to strengthen and expand safe blood transfusion services across the country.
In a statement issued on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day 2026, observed globally on June 14, PMA joined the international medical community and the World Health Organization (WHO) in paying tribute to voluntary, unpaid blood donors whose contributions save countless lives every year.
Referring to this year's WHO theme, "One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives," PMA said the campaign highlights the importance of compassion, solidarity, and shared responsibility in ensuring the availability of safe blood for patients in need.
PMA Secretary General Dr. Abdul Ghafoor Shoro said safe blood and blood products are essential components of modern healthcare. Thousands of patients, including mothers suffering from severe postpartum hemorrhage, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, trauma victims, and those requiring major surgeries, depend on timely access to blood transfusions.
He noted that Pakistan also faces a significant burden of inherited blood disorders such as thalassaemia major and haemophilia, with hundreds of thousands of patients requiring regular blood transfusions throughout their lives.
Dr. Shoro emphasized that human blood cannot be manufactured artificially and has a limited shelf life, making regular voluntary blood donation critical for maintaining adequate blood supplies and preventing shortages.
He said PMA is focusing on four key priorities this year: promoting a shift from emergency replacement donations to a system based on regular voluntary donors, increasing public awareness about the life-saving impact of blood donation, recognizing the contributions of regular donors, and advocating for stronger investment in centralized and well-regulated blood transfusion services.
The association also stressed the need for stringent screening and monitoring mechanisms to prevent transfusion-transmitted infections, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV.
"Every delivery room, emergency ward, trauma center, and oncology unit relies on the availability of safe blood," Dr. Shoro said, adding that a single blood donation can be separated into multiple components capable of helping up to three patients.
He urged healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 60 to visit certified blood donation centers and contribute to saving lives.
PMA reiterated that voluntary blood donation is one of the simplest yet most impactful acts of humanity and called upon citizens to support the national blood supply system through regular donations.
