Ukraine opens first long-term blood bank

The Ministry of Health said that the bank was set up at the Kyiv City Blood Centre as part of the Bold Blood project.

In war conditions, a sustainable supply of donor blood and its components is one of the conditions for ensuring the country's defence capability and a guarantee of its national security. The opening of the first long-term storage bank of red blood cells is a powerful strengthening of Ukraine's national blood system, which will allow planning a donor strategy for years to come," said Deputy Health Minister of Ukraine, Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin.

It is noted that, thanks to the Bold Blood project, doctors will be able to save the lives of thousands of patients and soldiers with high blood loss or rare blood groups:

• the country will henceforth be able to freeze and store rare blood groups,
• the blood will be able to be stored for decades,
• emergency logistics in the most difficult circumstances will be possible - for example, at the battlefield to rescue military and civilian casualties.

Any healthy person aged 18 or over with no contraindications can become a donor.