Latvia

In Latvia the structure of Blood Donors’ Service consists of 5 blood establishments and 51 hospital blood banks, which are all structural units of hospitals in Latvia. The cooperation between all institutions of the Blood service is ensured by legislation and based on various agreements. The State Blood Donor Centre in Riga with two branches (in Rezekne and Liepaja) is the main institution within the Blood Donor Service of Latvia, which administrates and coordinates the work of the Blood Donor Service and provides qualification and specialization for blood service and clinical personnel.

The task of the Blood Service of Latvia is to ensure the constant supply of safe blood products to healthcare institutions. Furthermore, the Blood Service of Latvia is based on a relatively stable base of donors, thanks to which a well-functioning everyday blood product supply chain has been developed, and the safety of blood products is ensured. In Latvia, blood service is financed by the government, which means that all patients get blood components and plasma products free of charge.

To attract donors, we use SMS sending service with personal encouragement. We also actively communicate on social media platforms – informing about current events and answering all the questions, replaying to comments. The State Blood Donor Center of the Republic of Latvia pays special attention to the customer service – fast communication face to face, by phone, e-mail, social media platforms and others. We also use social networks (e.g.Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) to encourage people to donate blood. What is more, we create special greetings and invitations in connection with various events – holidays, the beginning of the school year, anniversaries of institutions and companies, etc.

In 2021 in Latvia were collected 56200 whole blood units, total number of blood donors – 33323 (donation rate 17,7 /1000 population). Average age of a donor is 37 years. Number of first-time blood donors in 2021- 6691 (20% of all donors). Overall, Latvia is self-sufficient in blood and plasma products.