According to information from the Blood Transfusion Institute of Serbia received these days, blood reserves of all blood types are critical, even below the summer minimum. Out of the necessary 2,000 units of blood per week, much less is collected, between 1,000 and 1,300 units. That is why the response of our 130 colleagues who donated blood this week in Vršac, Šabac and Belgrade was extremely important for increasing blood reserves.br.

Hemofarm Foundation is grateful to all colleagues who responded to the drive of voluntary blood donation in Šabac, Vršac and Belgrade ‘People to People’ that the Foundation organizes every year. With their humanity, our colleagues helped the Blood Transfusion Institute of Serbia and the Blood Transfusion Institute of Vojvodina, which supply blood to all health institutions in Serbia, to secure the necessary amounts of blood. They also said that they were proud of all the participants, because they showed humanity in a critical situation for patients for whom blood is a lifesaver.

Ivana Rodić from the Blood Transfusion Institute of Serbia thanked our company and foundation for responding to the appeal: „It is not just an act of individual humanity and solidarity but also of corporate culture. We invite all companies, organizations, and individuals because sufficient blood reserves depend on all citizens of Serbia.“

The enthusiasm of our colleagues in Vršac was visible even before the team from the Blood Transfusion Institute of Vojvodina arrived at the Administration Building. "The line was already formed, but everyone was patiently waiting for the opportunity to show humanity and help people who need it. It is a great honour to be among all those wonderful people who donated their blood with smiles, companionship and a nice atmosphere", says Ivana Minović, coordinator of this drive and project manager of the Hemofarm Foundation.

There has been a great interest for this drive also in Šabac. Milica Ilić, senior technician and the president of the blood donor association from Šabac also emphasized that she was proud of her colleagues and as she said of „our humble contribution that can save someone’s life”, saying that colleagues from this production site have been cherishing for years a high level of awareness of the significance of blood donation.

„I have been donating blood regularly for the past few years. I like to help. I think that there is less and less of that lately. I am zero positive blood type and I am compatible with other blood types and it would be very selfish of me not to help many people when I am in the position to do so. The name of the drive 'Your blood, someone's life' says it all. It's a nice feeling when you think that maybe your modest 450ml saved or extended someone's life, and that some human being got more time to spend with their loved ones", said our colleague from Vršac, Dejan Stanojčić, transport organization and administration officer.

„I was very close to my dad and he was a voluntary donor until he was banned because of his age, which he was angry about. Therefore, donating blood was a normal thing for me. They often knocked on our door at night when someone needed blood. I couldn't wait to grow up and go with him. But, the conditions have not been met so far. Many times I was sent back because of my weight, but after I become a mother and gained some weight, I got the opportunity to show humanity. I feel great. From now on, this will be part of my annual routine. Thanks for the organization. It was beautiful. I would say that today I made another dream of mine come true", said our colleague from Belgrade, Branislava Krstin, finance manager, who donated blood for the first time.

For already 30 years Hemofarm Foundation has been promoting the mission ‘Caring for the Peoples’ Health through its campaigns and drives and emphasizing the significance of voluntary blood and organ donation and it calls all who can and who are of good general health to join our courageous colleagues from the voluntary blood donors sections in Vršac, Šabac and Belgrade. Anyone who is healthy, weighs more than 50 kilograms and is between the ages of 18 and 65 can donate blood. In this way, you take care of yourself and improve your own health and help those whose lives are in danger.

We invite you to take a look at the list of locations where you can donate blood, at the website of Blood Transfusion Institute of Serbia at www.itks.rs and Blood Transfusion Institute of Vojvodina at www.transfuzija.rs and provide your help in the forthcoming period.