World blood donor day: the challenges ahead.

1Department of Laboratory Medicine, National University Hospital 2Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Hospital Address for Correspondence: Dr Tan Lip Kun, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Level 3, Main Building, National University Hospital, Singapore 119074. Email: [email protected] This year’s World Blood Donor Day falls on the 14 June. The World Blood Donor Day commemorates Karl Landsteiner (14 June 1868 – 26 June 1943) who was the fi rst person to have discovered the fi rst blood group in 1900, the ABO blood group, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1930. On World Blood Donor Day, we recognise the valued contribution and unmatched generosity that a blood donor makes to the community. The theme of the 2012 World Blood Donor Day campaign, “every blood donor is a hero” focuses on the idea that every one of us can become a hero by giving blood. In this modern society, human beings are now using new and modern techniques and technologies to communicate with one another. The days of sending a handwritten letter to a loved one is becoming a rare occurrence. Sending letters is almost an obsolete method of personal communication. Instead, we are now in the era of internet communication, and conversing with each other through electronic means e.g. e-mails, e-greeting cards. The once personal touch of writing a letter is now rarely used as a mode of communication. Daily communication is now carried out quite often through SMSs rather than by verbal or visual communication. The usual process which we took for granted such as seeing the person, hearing the voice or receiving a physical touch, is becoming an uncommon practice in a person’s daily life. Even when it comes to customer services, many of the processes are also heading towards a mechanical and impersonal way e.g. electronic check-ins, electronic helpdesks, electronic meal order services. The personalised customer service is slowly becoming a thing of the past. With advancement in technology and scientifi c knowledge, one would think that the provision of blood can be made easier and may be possible to remove the “human touch” to saving lives. However, even after years of research and investigation, artifi cial blood is still not universally accepted or readily available in medical practices. We still continue to rely on human blood donors for our blood supply and we are dependent on voluntary commitment to maintain the blood donor pool. The “human touch” is still vitally important in the saving of our patients’ life and nothing to date has come close to eradicating the need for human blood donors. Recruitment, motivation and retention of blood donors are of vital importance in maintaining a sustainable donor pool for the care of our patients. As we refl ect on this World Blood Donor Day, we should be celebrating and appreciating the commitment of our blood donors who are the unsung heroes of our community.