Last week, Bank of Valletta organised a Blood Donation Drive to commemorate World Blood Donor Day.

During the second blood drive organised this year, the Malta National Blood Transfusion Mobile Unit saw a constant flow of donors, with 44 BOV employees coming forward to make their donation.

"Blood donation drives have become a staple event on our calendar of activities for our employees. It is encouraging to note that our people participate keenly every time, even following up themselves to take note of the forthcoming session," said Charles Azzopardi, head PR & Marketing at Bank of Valletta. "Ahead of the World Blood Donor Day, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of the National Blood Transfusion Service, for their professionalism and hard work throughout the year."

Tony Micallef, Practice nurse at the National Blood Transfusion Unit thanked Bank of Valletta employees for their keen participation. "The demand for blood is a consistent one," he said. "Malta is one of the 62 countries that collect 100% of their blood supply from voluntary donors. Therefore, it is no wonder that the World Health Organisation celebrates blood donors worldwide as heroes, because that is what they are."

Mr Micallef explained that in Malta, on average 50 bags of blood are required every day, among others to meet the demand for scheduled operations and to support patients with cancer. This means that, on average, 18,000 bags of blood are needed every year to supply all the hospitals in Malta and Gozo.

There are various options to donate blood. One may contact the Malta National Blood Transfusion Centre on 2206 6201, 7930 7307 or by email on [email protected]. There is also a free phone number 8007 4313.

Organisations interested in organising similar activities may contact the Malta National Blood Transfusion Centre directly.