It is our hope that in designating one special day each year to celebrate the role of these blood donors in health care around the world, a new generation of blood donors will follow their example, thereby providing the safest blood possible for use wherever and whenever it is needed to save life."

The Workshop started formally by offering tribute to Dr. Karl Landsteiner and the outset a documentary film covering the celebration of World Blood Donor Day by the Federation in last three years was exhibited to the capacity crowd. Dr. Debasis Gupta, consultant, Blood Safety, NACO in the Karl Landsteiner memorial oration described in detail pro and post Landsteiner era of Blood Transfusion and development of modern transfusion service since discovery of ABO blood group. He also explained the significance of slogan forwarded by WHO " Safe Blood for Safe Motherhood". Dr. Gupta apprised the audience  about the result of NACP I & II and also highlighted the objectives of NACP III which will give stress on upgrading the blood transfusion service. Among immense applause he announced that for the purpose of ensuring blood safety a task force for augmentation of voluntary blood donation programme in the country has been formed in the national level. This task force will recommend their proposals for implementing NACP III.

Dr. Biswajit Bhattacharya, Director, RBTS, R.G. Kar MCH Blood Bank and Dr. Aniruddha Kar, Addl Project Director, WBSAP&CS delivered their presentations in the same session describing the status of voluntary blood donation in the State and Govt. infrastructure to ensure blood safety.

The world Blood Donor Day was formally inaugurated by Dr. Surjya Kant Mishra, MIC, H&FW, Govt. of West Bengal . In the inaugural session Sri Pratim Chatterjee, MIC, Fire and Emergency services, Govt of W.B. Sri R.S. Shukla,IAS, Project Director, WBSAP&CS, Smt. Shyamali Gupta, a renowned women activist, Sri Subrata Bhattacharya, Football coach, East Bengal Club and other dignitaries were present. The felicitation of centurion blood donors was the main attraction of the inaugural session. Dr. Surjya Kant Mishra and other guest handed over World Blood Donor Day memento to the centurion blood donors.

Sri  Apurba Ghosh, General Secretary, FBDOI, expressed sincere gratitude to the Govt. of West Bengal for support and co-operation in organizing the National Workshop and also in promoting voluntary Blood Donation movement in the State as a whole.

Dr. Surjya Kanta Mishra, MIC, Health & Family welfare, Govt. of West Bengal in his inaugural speech praised the role of voluntary organizations specially West Bengal Voluntary Blood Donors Forum to overcome the crisis in blood collection in recent past despite detrimental propaganda by a section of media. He expressed optimism for ensuring cent per cent voluntary safe blood and expressed his hope that this kind of workshop and conference will be able to formulate the policies for achieving the goal.

Mr. R.S. Shukla, PD, WBSAP&CS, insisted on quality assurance prorgramme  following guideline of NACP-III.

Sri Pratim Chatterjee, MIC, Fire and Emergency services, reminded the ever increasing need for blood due to growing requirement of blood for thalassaemics. He also focused on the danger of commercialization in the context of ethics and safety.

Eminent footballer and Coach Sri Subrata Bhattacharya and leading women activist Smt. Shyamali Gupta both assured of their personal and organizational support and co-operation in propagating the message of blood donation. Smt. Gupta especially emphasized on the participation of women in the movement.

Srimat Swami Ritananda Maharaj delivered  an invaluable speech on voluntarism in blood donation movement in the light of highest stage of idealism – " service to humanity is service to God" – as preached by Swami Vivekananda.

In the scientific session leading personalities in voluntary blood donation movement from different states presented the status and scenario of their states. Sri Arungokul Das from Tamilnadu, Sri M.C. Trivedi from Gujrat, Dr. Subir Saxena from Chandigarh, Sri S.K. Singh from Jharkhand, Sri S. Bansal from Punjab, Sri P.K. Tripathy from Orissa, Mr. Avijit Roy from Tripura among others described their position in the movement. Some constraints have also been pointed out by them. Deliberations were made in a positive way to face those constraints and also to overcome them. Dr. A.F. Ryngksai from Meghalaya pointed out the weaknesses prevailing in the North-East and requested for help from the Government and Federation for increasing awareness among the people. Sri Apurba Ghosh, from West Bengal presented the success story of West Bengal and appealed to all to accept the model of West Bengal. 

Dr. Smt. Kabita Chatterjee, Director, AIIMS Blood Bank, New Delhi, in her presentation described different aspects of blood safety. She insisted on proper haemo-vigilance and in this regard she advocated for nucleic acid test according to the global practice to detect the core antigens.

Dr. Debasish Gupta supplemented that their should be a well planned programme to co-ordinate the motivational work and the clinical aspect of blood safety. He also assured of all out support from NACO for imparting training to the motivators, clinicians and blood users, blood bankers and others related with blood transfusion service for up gradation of blood transfusion service as a whole.

On behalf of West Bengal Voluntary Blood Donors Forum Sri Bappaditya Mukherjee presented the role of youth and media in ensuring non-remunerated voluntary blood donation. In the context of globalization the task of motivating and involving young generation and utilizing the organs of media should take a new dimension.

In the panel discussion regarding use of credit cards it has come to the surface that rationalization in using the credit cards in different states is an urgent need. There should be a standard national procedure in respect of issuing credit cards to the donors and honouring those by the blood bank authorities.

In the penultimate session Sri Apurba Ghosh presented the importance of training & Education for donor recruitment and retention which can create a safe pool of donors as a long term measure in ensuring blood safety.