(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) Staff of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat in Guyana will mark World Blood Donors day on June 14 by donating blood to Guyana's National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS). The donation will be administered by the NBTS from 1:00 p.m. at the Bank of Guyana Headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat.

The aim of the exercise is to heighten awareness among staff members of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, the importance of voluntary blood donation as a means of giving back to the community and to encourage them to become regular blood donors.

Guyana's NBTS will mark World Blood Donation Day with a special ceremony to pay tribute to individuals, families, organisations and non-governmental organisations which contribute voluntarily to the work of the NBTS. These persons and groups will be presented with small tokens and will be given public recognition.

Medical Director of the NBTS Dr. Clement Mc Ewan said since 1992 blood donation has increased to twenty percent. "Zero point seven of our population donated blood which is about 1 out of every 100 persons," he stressed. He added that he would wish to see this figure increased to at least 2 out of every 100 persons.

World Blood Donor Day builds on the success of World Health Day 2000 that carried the theme "Safe blood Saves. Safe Blood starts with me". So successful was that exercise that it was decided that as a fitting tribute to those persons who have benefited from blood donations the event would be held internationally from June 2004.