Cyprus is adopting its first comprehensive National Blood Strategy, aiming to ensure the sufficiency, safety, quality and sustainable management of blood – one of the health system’s most important and irreplaceable resources.
The official presentation and handover of the Strategy to the Minister of Health, Neophytos Charalambides, will take place on June 13 during a special workshop in Nicosia, a day before World Blood Donor Day.
The National Committee for Thalassemia and Other Hemoglobinopathies states in a press release that the new Strategy aims to create a modern, coordinated and resilient framework for the country’s blood system, drawing on the experience and best practices that have been developed in Cyprus over time in voluntary blood donation and transfusion therapy.
According to the press release, Cyprus is among the countries that have achieved high levels of blood collection and safety, thanks to the contribution of volunteer donors, the Blood Centre, Blood Banks and healthcare professionals, as well as the longstanding support of the State.
The coordination and scientific oversight of the process was led by the President of the National Committee, Dr. Androulla Eleftheriou, who described the Strategy as “a collective achievement and at the same time a national responsibility”.
She added that “blood is not simply a resource of the health system,” noting that “it is life, it is social solidarity, it is the tangible proof that one person can stand by another, even without knowing them”.
The five-year Strategy focuses, among other things, on strengthening blood donation, improving blood management and utilization, upgrading blood services, blood vigilance, quality and oversight, and promoting innovation, research and digitalization.
Additionally, the Committee refers to Cyprus aligning with the new European requirements arising from the framework for Substances of Human Origin (SoHO), aiming to further strengthen safety and public trust in the blood system.