Blood donations worth 79,000 bags and 8,000 platelets have been generously contributed to the Kuwait Central Blood Bank by Kuwaitis and the nationals of 75 countries, a Health Ministry official said on Saturday.

In an address a day after World Blood Donor Day, Assistant Undersecretary for Medical Support Services Fawaz Al-Rifai thanked donors for their efforts, which have helped in saving the lives of others.

Speaking of Kuwait Central Blood Bank's recent accomplishments, he said it is the only body of its kind in the Arab region to have been recognised globally for applying the standards for reference laboratories, blood transfusions, blood donations and genetic laboratories.

For her part, ministry official tasked with blood transfusions Reem Al-Radwan said donation awareness should be encouraged on the individual as well as public levels.

On the individual level, she urged the public to commit to the regular donation process set up by the ministry and encourage family and friends to step forward and follow suit.

For its part, she said that the ministry should back the development of transfusion services and acknowledge the role of donors, by organising activities that encourage the deed, through campaigns or the creation of services that cater to their needs.

World Blood Donor Day is celebrated annually on June 14 to "thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood," according to the official website of the World Health Organisation.