site.btaBlood Donors Call for Donation System Overhaul

The Bulgarian Organization for Volunteer Blood Donation (BOVBD) is calling for a comprehensive overhaul of the blood donation system in Bulgaria, the organization said on Wednesday. BOVBD is a volunteer association that provides support and information related to blood donation and works to promote regular, anonymous, and voluntary blood giving.

The organization urges a full audit of public spending in the sector, as well as better analysis and control to optimize costs. It also calls for clear and meaningful measures to attract new professionals to transfusion centres and for the development of a national policy to encourage and promote voluntary blood donation.

According to BOVBD, the sector faces a serious shortage of staff, harmful practices, and widespread ignorance on the topic, which further worsens the already critical shortage of blood and blood products.

The organization supports emergency cases through its mobile app Donate Blood, which is part of its mutual aid system. Users can issue or respond to urgent blood appeals, receive notifications of both emergency appeals and voluntary blood donation campaigns, find out where they can donate blood or contact the BOVBD. Appeals for help have increased by 48% compared to the previous year. Each call is verified for authenticity and accuracy. The app also helps prevent misuse by eliminating direct contact between donors and recipients.

BOVBD President Stefka Popova said that one blood donor can help save three lives. She pointed out that hospitals have no legal right to require patients’ relatives to donate blood. According to her, shifting the responsibility to patients and their families is a harmful practice that discourages potential donors from giving blood to strangers and deepens the crisis.

World Blood Donor Day will be marked on June 14 under the motto “Donate blood, give hope – together we save lives!”