A total of 34 employees from BOV, nine of which were first-time blood donors, volunteered to donate blood during a blood donation drive organised by Bank of Valletta in collaboration with the National Blood Transfusion Services.
Every year, many patients are thankful for the kind and generous act from blood donors. Donated blood is integral to the support of treatment of young children, women who need blood after giving birth and patients who undergo major operations. According to a study conducted by the World Health Organisation in 2020, an increase of 7.8 million blood donations from voluntary unpaid donors was reported between 2013 and 2018.
Tony Micallef, coordinator for the Blood Transfusion Services thanked the BOV management and employees for their generous response to donating blood on a regular basis.
“The demand for blood after the COVID-19 peak has gone up,” he said. “This is because the non-urgent operations that were cancelled due to the pandemic are now being scheduled at a quick pace; this also includes certain postponed treatment for chronic illnesses. Thus, such an initiative is essential to keep the health service going on, and above all, the patients needing blood receive it without delay”.
BOV organises three blood drives per year where employees are encouraged to donate blood to help save as many lives as possible. The BOV blood donation drive has also become a core segment of a corporate social responsibility programme of the bank.
Jes Sciberras, organiser of the BOV blood donation drive, explained how holding such initiatives was even more challenging after the COVID-19 outbreak, as regular donors are now thinking twice whether they should go ahead with their donation.
“With the full support of the BOV team and the guidance of the Blood Transfusion Unit, we are once again supporting this noble act. Each and every donation counts and might well be a life-saving gesture for a stranger as well as a loved one. Social distancing does not have to mean social disengagement.”
For further information on donating blood, visit www.facebook.com/bloodmalta or call on 8007 4313 or 7930 7307.