site.btaNumber of Blood Donations in Bulgaria Is Increasing

The number of blood donations in Bulgaria is increasing, the director of the National Centre for Transfusion Hematology (NCTH) Nikolay Nikolov said in an interview with BTA. Preliminary data for January-October 2023 show that the number of blood donations in Bulgaria in 2023 is increasing compared to 2022. The final blood donation data for last year is still being processed.

In Bulgaria, the most common blood group - among 37% of the population - is A (+), while globally it is 0 (+). The rarest blood group in Bulgaria and worldwide is AB (-) and occurs in one percent of the population. In 28% of Bulgarians the blood group is 0 (+), in 13% - B (+), in 7% - AB (+), in another 7% - A (-) , in 5% - 0 (-), in 2% - B (-) and in 1% - AB (-), he said.

In 2000, a reform was implemented in the transfusion system in Bulgaria, aiming at centralized diagnosis and processing of donated blood. A rigorous working algorithm was developed to provide blood components of the required quality and sufficient quantity for all healthcare facilities in the country. This was done for the sake of better quality and safety of blood components needed for the treatment of patients, Nikolov explained.

The teams of the transfusion hematology centres, together with non-governmental organizations, participate in various missions related to health, healthy nutrition, and healthy lifestyle. The goal is to help build a lasting positive attitude among the public towards voluntary and free blood donation through various activities. The trend is for the number of blood donations in all structures of the transfusion system in the country to increase, with 168,807 in 2022 and nearly 172,000 in 2023 according to preliminary data, Nikolov added.

The number of young, well-educated people is increasing among would-be blood donors. Many of the blood donors donate for the second time. The increase over the years in the number of first-time donors is also worth noting, he added.