Bank of Valletta employees commemorated World Blood Donors' Day in the best possible manner this year. During the second blood drive organised this year, the Malta National Blood Transfusion Mobile Unit saw a constant flow of donors, with 46 BOV employees successfully making their donation

"Such activities highlight the Bank's commitment towards the community in which we operate," explained Mr Charles Azzopardi, Head PR & Marketing at Bank of Valletta. "We organise blood drives regularly throughout the year. Such events also help to induce a dialogue among the different stakeholder groups, and involve our own people to participate in the Maltese community." He also explained that over the past few years, the Bank has built a very good working relationship with the team at the National Blood Transfusion Service and endeavour to pencil in as many of these events as possible.

Thanking Bank of Valletta employees for their keen response, Mr Tony Micallef - Practice Nurse from the National Blood Transfusion Unit explained that the demand for blood is an ongoing one, and its supply depends entirely on volunteers. "Knowing that one donation can save up to three lives is very powerful, and this is the message behind this year's theme Blood Connects Us All." He also explained that males may make regular donations every three months, whiles females may donate every four months.

Statistics indicate that an estimate of 50 bags per day are required to carry out the scheduled operations. This means that around 18,000 bags of blood are needed in one year in Malta.

The Blood Donation Mobile Unit regularly visits various localities around Malta, seeking to ensure an adequate supply of blood. Organisations interested in organising similar activities to the one organised by Bank of Valletta may contact the Malta National Blood Transfusion Centre on telephone number 2123 4767 or 2206 6201 or by email on [email protected], one may also call on free phone 8007 4313.