Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health has called on citizens to increase their participation in blood donation campaigns, warning that many patients still struggle to obtain compatible blood in emergencies despite improvements in the country’s blood management system.

The appeal was made on Saturday as health officials marked World Blood Donor Day, an annual event aimed at raising awareness about the importance of voluntary blood donation and recognizing the contribution of donors in saving lives.

Speaking at the ceremony, officials highlighted the critical role blood donors play in supporting the healthcare system and ensuring that hospitals have adequate supplies for patients requiring urgent treatment.

Abdul Wali Haqqani, Deputy Minister for Health Services at the Ministry of Public Health, said that shortages in blood reserves continue to pose challenges for healthcare providers, particularly when patients require specific blood types.

“Unfortunately, patients who need blood do not always have immediate access to compatible negative blood groups,” Haqqani said. “Blood donation is a simple yet invaluable humanitarian act. The World Health Organization recommends that at least one percent of a country’s population donate blood regularly to maintain sufficient reserves.”

Haqqani stressed that increasing public participation in blood donation could significantly improve the availability of life-saving blood supplies and strengthen healthcare services across the country.

Meanwhile, Wahdat Alkozi, Director of Curative Medicine at the ministry, said Afghanistan has made notable progress in blood management in recent years. He noted that standardized blood separation and storage systems are now operating at the Central Blood Bank and several regional hospitals.

“We are working to expand these systems throughout the country so that patients can have greater access to safe and standardized blood services,” Alkozi said.

According to officials from the Central Blood Bank, more than 220,000 units of blood were collected from voluntary donors over the past year. The blood was used in the treatment of more than 250,000 patients nationwide, underscoring the growing demand for blood supplies in hospitals and healthcare facilities.

However, Niazgul Niazmand, head of the Central Blood Bank, said the shortage of negative blood groups remains a major challenge due to the limited number of donors with those blood types.

Health experts emphasize that blood donation not only helps save the lives of accident victims, surgical patients, mothers experiencing childbirth complications, and individuals suffering from serious illnesses, but can also benefit donors by promoting healthy blood circulation and stimulating the production of new blood cells.

World Blood Donor Day is observed every year on June 14 to encourage voluntary blood donation and raise awareness about the ongoing need for safe blood and blood products around the world.

Russian pharmaceutical manufacturer Pharmasyntez is preparing to enter the Afghan market after reaching an agreement with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health to begin supplying medicines to the country, as Kabul faces growing challenges in securing reliable drug imports.

The company said the first shipments are expected to arrive within the next two months, with supplies expected to include insulin, antibiotics, and medicines for cardiovascular diseases and cancer — products that Afghan health authorities say are in high demand.

Afghanistan relies heavily on imported medicines, with most pharmaceutical supplies traditionally coming from Pakistan, Iran, India, and Middle Eastern countries.

However, industry analysts say recent tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have disrupted some supply chains, creating shortages and opening opportunities for new suppliers.

Pharmasyntez said it decided to enter Afghanistan because of the country’s limited access to quality medicines.

The company’s portfolio includes more than 300 pharmaceutical products manufactured across seven production facilities in Russia.

Founded in 1997 in Irkutsk by businessman Vikram Punia, the company currently exports mainly to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, while also operating in markets including Myanmar and the Dominican Republic.

According to publicly available information, Pharmasyntez is the first major Russian pharmaceutical company to formally target the Afghan market.

Trade relations between Afghanistan and Russia have expanded in recent years, with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Trade reporting annual bilateral trade of around $538 million.

Russia currently exports wheat, flour, fuel products, timber, and sunflower oil to Afghanistan.

The last known Russian medicine deliveries to Afghanistan were humanitarian aid shipments sent after the deadly earthquakes that struck Herat province in 2023.