On Thursday 14 June, countries worldwide celebrated World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) with events to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood.

The theme of the 2012 WBDD campaign, “Every blood donor is a hero” focused on the idea that every one of us can become a hero by giving blood.

While recognising the silent and unsung heroes who save lives every day through their blood donations, the theme also strongly encourages more people all over the world to donate blood voluntarily and regularly

WBDD was celebrated here in the Cayman Islands, too and the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority at George Town hospital reminded the public that new blood donors are desperately needed.

The need for blood can arise at anytime and often means the difference between life and death. Anyone over the age of 17 who is in good health is encouraged to consider giving the “gift of life.”

The Blood Bank at the Cayman Islands Hospital, George Town is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for anyone who is interested in registering as a blood donor.

A report in the UK’s Daily Mail on WBDD gave these sad statistics about UK’s National Blood Service. It stated that it collects 8,000 blood donations every day across England and Wales. But shockingly, only five per cent of the eligible population donate blood, and appallingly less than three per cent of the total number of donors are from Black and Asian backgrounds. This means that on average, just over 200 Black and Asian people donate each day across the whole of the UK. And the figures are even fewer for platelets. In a country as massively multicultural (and now, thankfully, proudly multicultural) as Britain, I think that’s both atrocious and in serious need of being rectified! If we look across the pond to the USA, it’s unfortunately the same, sad story. In a population with over 40 million African-Americans and even more millions of Hispanics, there is still a huge paucity of Black and Hispanic donors.

Contrary to popular belief, blood and platelet donation is terribly important as it tangibly saves lives. It’s not some geeky, recondite pursuit for anoraks and liberal do-gooders looking to assuage their consciences. Moreover, it’s not just for middle-aged white guys in cardigans from Bromley with names like Colin and Frank (the major donor demographic). It’s for everyone, irrespective of your race, colour, class or creed.

So why are many Black and Asian people seemingly reluctant to have a needle stuck in their arm for the greater good? Is it a cultural thing? Or is it merely bad recruitment by the blood service? In all fairness, the National Blood Service has been assiduously trying to recruit more Black and Asian donors for years.

A few years ago they launched a high profile campaign to encourage more people from ethnic minorities to give blood and even recruited the support of a number of celebrities to try and highlight the need for more people to donate from their own communities.

Now, unless there’s institutionalised racism or a subtle form of sanguineous apartheid operating at the blood bank (which is seriously doubted), they urgently need to encourage more social philanthropy in all communities. Could it be down to sheer laziness the writer asks? He doubts it. The various Black and Asian communities are several of the most industrious and hard working that the UK has. Scared of needles? Come off it. What’s a little pin prick compared to saving a life? Too busy trying to make ends meet? Well, irrespective of whether people are hustling to pay the bills or working as a barrister, everyone should always try and make time to help others, if for no other reason than one day all of us might be that other (and, ironically, on the evidence of history, Black and Asian people in this country traditionally have been that other).

They always say in voluntary circles that time is the most valuable thing you can give. It isn’t – it’s actually your blood, because time alone doesn’t save human lives, but blood can.

If you want to read the whole Daily mail article and you should go to: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2159168/On-World-Blood-Donor-Day-impassioned-plea-encourage-people-participate-vital-service.html#ixzz1xpFrGggg