World Blood Donor Day is celebrated every year since the year 2005, throughout the world on 14th June.  This is to done raise awareness of the importance of blood donation and to recognize the contribution of voluntary unpaid blood donors in saving lives and improving health.  14th June is the birthday of Karl Landsteiner (1868-1943), an Austrian biologist and physician, considered to be the “founder” of modern blood transfusion, who also discovered the ABO blood groups.
Every blood donation is a precious lifesaving gift and repeat donation is the key to building a safe and sustainable blood supply and achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Access to safe and secure blood supply based on the voluntary non-remunerated donation is vital; for management of accident and trauma victims; patients requiring surgeries, cancer patients, cases of bleeding during pregnancy and child birth; cases of anemia including those requiring life long and regular blood transfusions for conditions such as Sickle Cell Anemia and Thalassemia etc.  
Voluntary non-remunerated plasma donations also play an important part in supporting patients with a wide range of long-term conditions such as Hemophilia and immune deficiencies.
The slogan for this year’s  World Blood Donor Day campaign on 14th June 2024 is “20 YEARS OF CELEBRATING GIVING - THANK YOU BLOOD DONORS”.  It emphasizes the role of volunteer blood donors in the safe and sustainable blood supply of a nation and being celebrated all over the world to thank these noble volunteer donors.
On this occasion, the Department of Transfusion Medicine conducted 3 Blood Donation Camps  to create awareness regarding voluntary blood donation -
At Swaraj Engines Ltd. Plot No.2, Industrial Area, Phase 9 Mohali
At Bridge Market, Sector-17, Chandigarh.
At Blood Donation Centre, Advanced Trauma Centre, PGIMER, Chandigarh.
A total 350 blood donors donated the blood in these camps.
All the healthy adults between 18-65 years of age are requested to come forward for this noble cause and can donate blood at any of licensed blood banks in the tri city.
Department of Transfusion Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh expresses its sincere gratitude to all its volunteer donors who have been supporting the department by donating blood on regular intervals to meet the blood and blood component requirements of patients in the institute.