TEHRAN – Around 1.7 percent of the country's population donates blood regularly, and the blood donation index is 28 per 1,000 population, an official with Iran Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) has said.

The average amount of blood storage in the country is sufficient for five days, but it can be increased to eight days, IRNA quoted Ahmad Qarah-Baghian as saying.

Blood donations are always needed. The life of some patients, such as those suffering from hemophilia and thalassemia, depends on regular blood transfusions, the official noted.

With an increase in life expectancy in Iran, which is currently 75 years, and a structural change in the population’s average age, the need for blood and its products will significantly increase in the future, he added.

Referring to Iran’s transition into an aging country and the fact that about 30 per cent of the death tolls in traffic accidents are due to lack of access to blood transfusion, Qarah-Baghian said young healthy individuals, aged below 25, need to be encouraged to donate blood regularly, and women’s contribution should increase from 5 to 35 per cent.

The official went on to say that people can even only donate platelets, as platelets can be stored for only about three days, while the product is vital for many patients.

A total of 1,621,911 Iranians donated blood in the first eight months of the current Iranian year, which started on March 21, according to an official with the IBTO.

The highest blood donation growth was recorded in the provinces of Zanjan (around 12 percent), Sistan-Baluchestan (over nine percent), and Fars (more than seven percent), Mehr news agency quoted Babak Yektaparast as saying.

Tehran province accounted for 17 percent of the total blood donation in the same period. Fars and Isfahan provinces donated, respectively, more than seven percent and almost six percent of the total blood donation in eight months.

Women’s share of blood donation in the country is around five percent, he noted.

The official went on to say that over the past eight months, the continuous blood donation growth rate in the country has been 55 percent.

WHO lauds IBTO’s achievements

In January 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative, Jaffar Hussain, admired the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization’s (IBTO) leadership in blood safety and transfusion services, and highlighted their remarkable achievement of a 100 percent voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation system, a testament to the principles of universal health coverage in action.

He also thanked the blood donors, whose selflessness serves as an inspiration to all.

Admiring the IBTO’s efforts and expertise in providing services to patients with rare blood types, the official underscored Iran’s capacity to serve as a model for other nations in the realm of blood transfusion and rare blood management.

Addressing National Rare Blood Day on January 22, 2025, the official praised the country’s steadfast commitment to equitable healthcare access, ensuring that no one is left behind, regardless of their blood type.

The official commended the country’s unwavering dedication to tackling the unique challenges surrounding rare blood, emphasizing the critical importance of collaboration, innovation, and unwavering determination in this global endeavor, the WHO website announced in a press release on January 27.

He lauded the IBTO leadership in blood safety and transfusion services, highlighting their remarkable achievement of a 100 percent voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation system, a testament to the principles of universal health coverage in action. He also thanked the blood donors, whose selflessness serves as an inspiration to all.

MT/MG