By Laura Fusco

Like many nations around the world, the small southeastern European country of Moldova is actively working to improve the safety of its blood supply by focusing on developing a pool of regular, voluntary, nonremunerated blood donors. For Moldova, this involves moving from a system of family replacement donors to voluntary donors — an effort supported by the AABB Global Development Division.      

As part of that effort, AABB helped lead a blood donor recruitment workshop in Moldova this summer in cooperation with the Preventing HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B & C Project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).¹ The workshop — held June 8-10 just outside the capital city of Chisinau — allowed AABB’s global development team to reach individuals from blood centers throughout Moldova.

The workshop shed light on the importance of donor recruitment, defined altruistic blood donation and explained why voluntary, unpaid donors are the foundation of a safe blood supply. It also clarified basic risk factors and described the behaviors of the low-risk population that makes for an ideal blood donor base. Manuals to help guide effective and safe donor recruitment were distributed to all participants. These training materials covered topics such as how to convert a potential donor into an actual donor and how to convert first-time or lapsed donors into regular donors. Communication strategies and how to plan a successful blood drive also were discussed.

“It is internationally recognized that, statistically, the safest blood comes from regular, voluntary, nonremunerated donors,” said Leo Beckerman, an AABB project associate involved in leading the workshop. “Our job was to help Moldova achieve that goal.”

AABB used several stories throughout the seminar to help illustrate the importance of donor recruitment and to show its practical application. These stories included the experience of the Blood Transfusion Institute in Bosnia and its management of voluntary blood donors during the war, the high school partnership program that helps Pakistan ensure an adequate supply of safe blood, and the Club 25 campaign launched by the South Africa National Blood Service to promote a culture of blood donation among the 16- to 25-year olds.

According to Beckerman, the Moldova National Blood Transfusion Center (NBTC) — which oversees all community and regional blood centers — is currently developing a national plan for donor recruitment and intends to incorporate the ideas presented at the workshop in a written guide to be used across the country. 

This blood donor recruitment workshop was held within days of World Blood Donor Day on June 14. The Moldova minister of health, the U.S. ambassador, the acting director of NBTC, and the AABB representative, along with several other speakers, gave televised presentations in recognition of the event acknowledging the global health impact of blood donors. The officials also marked the day by leading a group of volunteers in donating blood.

“Moldova had its first World Blood Donor Day celebration and is working toward not only putting together a donor recruitment plan but also taking steps to implement the plan in the near future,” said Beckerman. “All of this goes a long way to helping the Moldova blood community raise awareness about the importance of a safe and available blood supply.”