site.btaBulgaria's First Mobile Blood Donation Station Presented in Varna

The first mobile blood donation station in Bulgaria was presented at Varna's Sea Garden on Saturday. Participants in the event included Dr. Zhanina Yordanova, head of the Regional Centre for Transfusion Haematology in Varna, who told BTA that children need to be educated about blood donation, as this process saves human lives.

Yordanova said that blood donation in Bulgaria can be promoted by developing a national programme, while the media, social networks and various organizations can be utilized to popularize the topic.

The specialized vehicle turned blood donation station was made possible thanks to the I Believe and Help donation campaign. Medics from the Regional Centre for Transfusion Haematology in Varna will use it for blood donation campaigns in Varna and the region.

The Centre for Transfusion Haematology relies on 10,000 to 11,000 donors each year, Yordanova said and added that this year their number is likely to surpass 12,000. There is currently no blood shortage crisis at the centre.

Chair of the I Believe and Help Association Vladislav Nikolov said that his organization's latest initiative was to raise BGN 500,000. Part of it was already invested in the mobile blood donation station. Once the campaign reaches its next goal, it will purchase equipment for the children's surgery at St. Anna Hospital in Varna. The Association also aims to purchase one more ambulance to serve babies for the local obstetrics and gynaecology hospital.

The next I Believe and Help campaign will take place near the Dormition of the Mother of God Cathedral in Varna on September 30. Anyone interested can donate money, bottle caps or purchase products from a charity bazaar between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.