Afghanistan Sources 85% of Blood Needs from Volunteer Donors, Nears Self-Sufficiency
The Taliban-run Ministry of Public Health announced that last year, 227,000 units of blood were collected nationwide in Afghanistan, with 210,000 units distributed to patients. Officials from the ministry stated that Afghanistan has reached a stage close to self-sufficiency in blood storage.
These remarks were made during a meeting held in Kabul today (June 14) to mark World Blood Donor Day, organized under the slogan “Give Blood, Save Lives.” At the start of the event, Dr. Wahid Alkozai, Head of Therapeutic Medicine at the Ministry of Public Health, described blood as one of the body’s most essential tissues, emphasizing that life cannot continue without it. He explained that blood’s key functions include transporting oxygen and essential nutrients to cells, transferring hormones, and facilitating the body’s purification processes.
Mawlavi Abdulwali Haqqani, Deputy of Health Services Delivery at the ministry, also stressed that each unit of blood can save the life of a patient, wounded individual, mother, or child. He noted that around the world, patients constantly require blood transfusions to survive and urged citizens, especially young people, to participate in promoting the culture of blood donation.
Meanwhile, Dr. Niazgul Niazmand, Director of the National Blood Bank, stated that in the solar year 1404 (approximately March 2025–March 2026), blood groups of 699,304 people were identified in the center and provinces, and more than 227,000 blood units were deposited into blood banks. According to her, about 85 percent of the available blood is voluntarily donated by donors.
Additionally, Sheikh Mohammad Taher Halim, Head of the Ministry of Public Health office, described blood donation as a benevolent human act from the perspective of Islam and called it an effort to save others’ lives.
June 14 is observed as World Blood Donor Day, a day dedicated annually to raising awareness about the importance of blood donation and acknowledging volunteer donors worldwide.
