ATHENS, June 14 -- Greece marked World Blood Donor Day on Friday with experts calling for wider participation in blood donations nationwide to meet the country's needs.
Established in 2004, World Blood Donor Day is marked every year on June 14 to raise awareness of the need for this life-saving gift. The slogan for 2019 is "Safe Blood for All".
In awareness campaign the National Center for Blood Donation (EKEA), the Greek body responsible for attracting and maintaining volunteer blood donors and securing adequate national blood stocks, urged Greeks to start participating en masse to blood donations.
In Greece, at least 600,000 units of blood are required annually, of which only 40 percent are covered by volunteer blood donors, according to the official data.
It is worth noting that the country's fixed annual blood requirements amount to 120,000 units to address needs only of people suffering from Thalassemia, also called Mediterranean anemia.
According to EKEA, a total of 538,580 blood units were collected in 2017, 318,044 from volunteer blood donors and 220,536 from replacement donors, which is relatives and friends.
In addition, Greece imported 27,050 blood units from the Swiss Red Cross in 2017 to cover part of the needs of Mediterranean anemia sufferers.
According to the World Health Organization, Greece belongs in the 60 countries of the world that cannot meet their needs for blood autonomously and rely on replacement donors.
Summer is the period with the largest blood shortages, as many volunteers leave for holidays and neglect blood donation, while the needs are increasing.
A survey by the Panhellenic Federation of Blood Donor Volunteer Associations conducted in 2008 found that only 0.65 percent of the population are regular volunteer blood donors, meaning they give their blood twice a year. (1 euro = 1.12 U.S. dollars)