The donor database of the Vitebsk region is replenished annually by 2,000 donors

June 9, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The donor registry of the Vitebsk region is replenished annually with 2,000 donors, the Vitebsk Regional Blood Transfusion Station informed a BELTA correspondent. In total, there are more than 50,000 people in the Vitebsk region who donate blood or its components for medical needs. In 2008, 376 people received the badge "Honorary Donor of the Republic of Belarus". In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Blood and its Component Donation", to be nominated for the badge of honor, one must donate blood more than 40 times, and plasma more than 60 times. As the station staff noted, honorary donors are provided with a number of benefits by the state, including a pension increase upon reaching retirement age in accordance with pension legislation - 40% of the minimum old-age pension. The Vitebsk Blood Transfusion Station, together with narcological, dermatovenerological, and tuberculosis dispensaries, and the regional center for hygiene and AIDS prevention, has developed a system of measures that prevents sick people from becoming donors. In addition, pre-registration and screening of potential donors allow for the early detection of diseases that are contraindications to donation. Medics consider the introduction of such a progressive technology as apheresis at the Vitebsk Blood Transfusion Station as another fundamentally important safety factor. This method allows one patient to receive blood cells from one donor at a time, rather than from several. According to medics, donation is a good preventive measure for complications associated with blood loss and is beneficial for the human body, especially for men. Studies by Finnish and American scientists have confirmed that men who regularly donate blood suffer from heart attacks tens of times less often compared to those who do not donate blood. World Blood Donor Day will be celebrated on June 14. On the eve of this holiday, on June 12, a charity event "Scarlet Ribbon" will be held at the Vitebsk Blood Transfusion Station with the participation of the Vitebsk regional organization of the Belarusian Red Cross Society. All donors who come to the blood transfusion station will receive souvenirs from the Red Cross. -0-