Roadtown, Tortola - Ladies and gentlemen: I greet you on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day 2009, which is observed each year on June 14.

The Government of the Virgin Islands, through the Ministry of Health and Social Development, is pleased to be part of the broad international effort for World Blood Donor Day in its mission to raise awareness of the need for safe blood around the world, while encouraging individuals to donate blood regularly so that blood is readily available for all who need it at the time that it is needed.

This year’s theme is “Achieving 100 percent Non-remunerated Donation of Blood and Blood Components.” The theme’s focus is the use of innovative approaches to community participation to increase voluntary blood donation, maintain a stable pool of regular voluntary donors, and establish or expand blood component programmes based on 100% voluntary non-remunerated donation to achieve self sufficiency.

I am especially pleased to have this opportunity to address you in observance of World Blood Donor Day, as the donating of blood is perhaps one of the most important, yet overlooked, services that each of us can render to our fellow human beings.

The same red blood flows in the veins of every human being everywhere, and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) in a recent publication named “Eligibility for Blood Donation: Recommendations for Education and Selection of Prospective Blood Donors” reminds us that blood is composed of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma.

Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues, and carbon-dioxide from the tissues back to the lungs; white blood cells fight infections and other foreign substances that may enter the body; platelets play a central role in coagulation – that is the clotting of blood; plasma – the liquid component of blood is rich in proteins that help to keep the body healthy and functioning well. It also carries nutrients to tissues and transport substances that should be eliminated from the body through excretion.

So we see how vital blood is to the human body. Having it or not having it can mean the difference between life and death, and it is to state the obvious to say that anyone of us can – in a flash – find ourselves in an emergency situation and in need of blood.

When blood is donated by one person, it is eventually transferred to another person by a process called a blood transfusion.

Blood transfusions play a key role in the medical care of a patient and in reducing death among mothers, infants, victims of traffic accidents or other traumas, patients suffering from cancer, clotting disorders or transplants.

I ask you to stop for a moment and imagine how it would be if you or a loved one were unable to receive important emergency medical attention due to the unavailability of blood.

That is a troubling thought, as well as it should be. Therefore you should fully appreciate the significance of donating blood regardless of who the recipient will be. We all – in my view - have a moral duty to save a life whenever it is within our ability to do so, and often times the donation of blood can equate to the saving of a life.

Each year millions of people around the world owe their lives to individuals who they may never meet, but who donated their blood to help others. There are also millions more who are unable to receive good blood when they need it – because there are no available willing donors.

Our general situation here in the Virgin Islands is not different from that in other parts of the world.

The small size of these islands and our equally small population make the process more personal, because you are likely to know or to find out either the recipient or somebody who is related to him or to her.

One might imagine that the nature of our society would make it easier to access blood at times of need. However the reality it is not that simple. For a variety of reasons persons are usually unwilling to donate blood and our hospital (Peebles Hospital) sometimes finds itself in having to issue emergency bulletins requesting blood. I am sure that we will all agree that this is not good for the overall efficiency and effectiveness of our healthcare system.

The reluctance of some persons to donate blood sometimes stem from a lack of understanding of the process. This leads to a misplaced fear of blood-donating procedures.

I can tell you that that was the case for me personally years ago. As a universal donor, requests for me to donate blood were always traumatic mainly because I did not fully appreciate and understand the process.

Some persons are not inclined to donate blood if there is not a direct relationship with the recipient. Yet there are others who are willing to be donors but who just cannot find the time to visit the hospital.

There are indeed many reasons why persons tend to be reluctant to donate blood. And while I respect each person’s own choices in the matter, it is still important for all of us to be mindful of the risks we are taking by ignoring this vital need within our healthcare system.

I applaud the British Virgin Islands Red Cross for teaming-up with the Lab at Peebles Hospital to mount a blood donor drive that will be launched later this month with the unifying slogan “Give the gift of blood”; and also under the Red Cross’ own community partnership slogan “Together we can meet the need.”

While there is a general perception that there is not a blood bank at the Peebles Hospital, I am happy to confirm that a blood bank does in fact exist at Peebles and that blood is stored there (or can be stored there) for up to 35 days. However, we are in real need of blood donors.

The late Dr. Jana Downing has contributed a great deal in many areas – and I mention in particular her contributions to the awareness of the importance of blood donors in the islands. I believe that it is important that we continue to work for and to have a stable pool of blood donors. One of the problems that we currently encounter is that most persons who donate blood tend to do so in reaction to a specific event, such as in a family emergency or when someone is injured in a traffic accident or otherwise.

Instead of being reactive, we encourage persons to be proactive and not wait until there is an actual emergency. Instead we encourage you to donate blood at prescribed intervals to ensure an adequate supply is available when needed.

Some of the uncertainty in providing medical care can be eliminated if supplies of blood are consistently stored at the hospital’s blood bank. This will also relieve our emergency personnel from the burden of frantically trying to find family or friends when blood is urgently needed.

Today as Minister of Health, I add my voice of encouragement and I ask for the public’s cooperation. I encourage you to support the 2009 Blood Donor Registry Campaign, which is being mounted by the BVI Red Cross later this month.

The campaign will be conducted in partnership with local churches, businesses, and community organizations. It is expected to run for several months and it has my full support and endorsement.

By working together, we can ensure that the blood bank at Peebles Hospital achieves its goal of re-establishing an efficient blood donor programme by the year 2010. Currently, Peebles Hospital uses an average of 600 units of blood each year. Our aim is to have a steady supply of blood available and to be able to respond immediately if someone is injured or otherwise becomes seriously ill. I thank you ladies and gentlemen for listening and I urge you to give the gift of blood.