Awarded awards for contribution to the development of voluntary blood donation

The Blood Transfusion Institute of Montenegro awarded today awards to the most deserving people for the development of voluntary blood donation activities in the previous year.

In this way, the institute marked the World Blood Donor Day, which this year bears the slogan "20 years of celebration of donation: blood donors, thank you!".

Minister of Health Vojislav Šimun said that, thanks to the sacrifices of donors, the Institute has stable quantities of the most precious liquid, and the complete health system continuously and without risk carries out a large number of the most complex surgical procedures every day.

"During the previous year, the blood transfusion institute registered a donation percentage of 3,3 percent, 20.344 donations were collected through as many as 269 organized actions," said Šimun.

As he said, it is particularly encouraging that during the previous year 2.307 donors donated blood for the first time.

"These data are encouraging, but also call for an active and responsible attitude of the community and society towards voluntary blood donors," said Šimun.

Director of the Institute, Tamara Šćepanović, thanked everyone who contributed to the growth in blood donation.

She said that the results for the first half of the current year exceeded even the most optimistic expectations.

According to Šćepanović, in the first five months of this year, about 1,7 thousand units of blood were collected more than in the same period of the previous year, and about 1,1 thousand more than in the same period of the record year 2022.

"If we continue with this dynamic, I am firmly convinced that next year in this place we will talk about the greatest success in the field of voluntary blood donation in our country," Šćepanović said.

World Blood Donor Day was also congratulated by the head of the Office of the World Health Organization in Montenegro, Mina Brajović.

Acknowledgment for the most successfully organized action last year went to the voluntary blood donor societies "Radivoje Pima" and "Sveti Jovan Vladimir", the Danilovgrad Voluntary Blood Donors Club and the "Piva" Voluntary Blood Donors Club.

As announced by the Institute, Nikola Deretić from Herceg Novi, Mirko Golubović from Pljevlja, Bojan Stojilković from Budva, Milenko Eraković and Milan Bošković from Nikšić, Admir Hadžibegović from Podgorica received the Multiple Blood Donor Award.

Goran Španjević from Bijelo Polje, Miloš Brakočević from Beran, Hasredin Murić from Bar, Branislav Ivanišević from Cetinje and Nikola Nišević from Kotor were also awarded.

Awards for platelet donors were given to Janko Rovčanin, Filip Mikić and Milosav Radulović.

Plantaže received recognition for the company last year, while recognition for the state body was awarded to the Montenegrin Elektrodistributivni sistema - CEDIS.

Recognition for contribution to the development of voluntary blood donation was given to Donja Gorica University faculty action organizer and voluntary blood donor, Danilo Bulatović, and president of the Association of Voluntary Blood Donors Gacko and participant of a large number of actions in Montenegro, Miroslav Vuković.

Recognition for media promotion in the last year was given to Boje jutra - TV Vijesti.

The company National Parks of Montenegro, which provided 2,5 thousand tickets for voluntary blood donors, and the company Mil Pop, which regularly donates vouchers to blood donors, are the winners of the Recognition for supporting the development of voluntary blood donation. (end) nim/gop