Blood donation urgently needed: one third less first donor in danger!

Blood donation urgently needed: one third less first donor in danger!

Peine, Deutschland - World Blood donation day on June 14th - a call for solidarity

on June 14, 2025 is world blood donation day, and this day focuses on the invaluable importance of donations. Carsten Heitmann, a passionate blood donor, has already donated blood 220 times. For him, this is a matter of course and a way to help others. He has been donating since 1976 when he took his first step in the Bundeswehr. And he continues to stay active as long as his health allows it. Nevertheless, there is a worrying development: the acute lack of blood donation, especially at first donors, ensures an alarm mood among experts. ndr reports that only donated about 3.16 million people in Germany in 2024, which represents a decline of 11,000 compared to the previous year.

Jan Böttcher, a 29-year-old, has experienced first-hand how important blood donations are: in 2019 he was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia and had to go through chemotherapy for several months. During this time he regularly received blood transfusions that were crucial for his recovery process. The modern conventional medicine often uses blood products and for various medical applications, from tumors to serious injuries, which makes their availability urgent. But what is the reason for the decline in willingness to donate?

The challenge of recruiting young talent

The problem is in many cases: only around three percent of the population currently donate blood nationwide. The decline of the first donors, which fell from 307,164 in 2023 to 288,524 in 2024, is particularly alarming. , many donors today have an age of over 60 years of age, which illustrates demographic change. It also shows that awareness of the need for donations in the younger generation is not strong enough.

blood preparations only have a short shelf life - sometimes only a few days for platelets. around 44% of the blood pans used are required for tumor and cardiovascular diseases. The daily need for blood donations in Germany is around 15,000, which shows how important it is to mobilize people and to inspire them for the blood donation.

In order to achieve people, it is necessary to raise awareness of the importance of the blood donation as a task as a whole. This requires attention and sensitization, especially among young people who are the key to ensuring stable blood supply to the future.

Heitmann sums it up: blood donations are an easy way to help others. The challenge in the acquisition of new donors must not be underestimated, but with combined forces we may be able to contribute to the fact that the inventory does not run out. That is why every call, every donation and every action is so important - because donating blood saves life.