Kızılay Received 1.2 Million Units of Blood Donations in First 5 Months of the Year

Turkish Red Crescent releases data on 14 June World Blood Donor Day, demonstrating the vital contribution of voluntary blood donors to the health system. The organization received 1 million 246 thousand 400 units of blood donations in the first five months of 2026, with young people comprising 21 percent of donors.

Turkish Red Crescent, supported by voluntary and regular blood donors, collected a total of 1 million 246 thousand 400 units of blood donations in the first five months of this year, with contributions from 1 million 197 thousand 512 regular donors. Young people aged 18-24 comprised 21 percent of blood donors, while 85 percent of donors were male and 15 percent female.

Sharing data within the scope of World Blood Donor Day, observed annually on 14 June in commemoration of the birth date of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Karl Landsteiner, who discovered the A-B-0 blood group system and revolutionized the medical world, Turkish Red Crescent also shared current information with the public regarding its efforts to promote voluntary blood donation.

Educational activities reach millions
Turkish Red Crescent continues education and awareness activities aimed at promoting a culture of voluntary blood donation. Last year, the organization received 3 million 41 thousand 278 units of blood donations, reaching the highest annual collection figure in its history.

Within the scope of 2 thousand 197 educational activities conducted in the first five months of this year, 1 million 225 thousand 50 people received information and awareness training on voluntary blood donation.

Donor pool grows through partnerships
Turkish Red Crescent continues to strengthen the national blood supply system through projects developed with various institutions and organizations.

Within the scope of the "We Love Doing Good" project conducted in cooperation with the Thalassaemia Federation and Blood Diseases Federation, a donor pool of 40 thousand 783 people was created, 4 thousand 63 regular donors were added to the system and 247 patient-donor matches were made.

Turkish Red Crescent, cooperating with 82 institutions and organizations to support the continuity of voluntary blood donation, implemented the "Neighborhood's Power Grows with Kindness" project to ensure the continuation of donations during summer months.

Meanwhile, within the scope of the "Blood for Patients, Life for Forests" project, with the support of 1 million 579 thousand 400 donors, 4 million 738 thousand 200 saplings were planted.

Promising figures at TURKÖK
The Turkey Stem Cell Coordination Centre (TURKÖK), which continues its activities in cooperation with Turkish Red Crescent and the Ministry of Health, continues to provide hope for patients awaiting stem cell transplants.

As a result of efforts carried out since 2014, the number of active stem cell donor candidates has reached 1 million 231 thousand 392. To date, 36 thousand 905 patient-donor matches have been made within the scope of TURKÖK, while stem cell collection procedures were successfully completed from 8 thousand 500 voluntary donors.

Foundation stone laid for Proturk Plasma Pharmaceutical Facility
Turkish Red Crescent has reached an important stage within the scope of the Proturk Project, aimed at converting plasma obtained from voluntary donors into high-value-added pharmaceuticals.

The foundation stone of the Turkish Red Crescent Proturk Plasma Pharmaceutical Facility, to be implemented through cooperation between Turkish Red Crescent and SK Plasma, a South Korea-based company, in Çubuk district of Ankara, was laid in a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan via video link.

When operational, the facility is expected to enable the production of critical plasma products such as albumin, immunoglobulin and clotting factors in Turkey, contributing significantly to reducing the country's dependence on imports in the health sector and strengthening Turkey's biotechnology capacity.