On the Third Banking Blood Donor Week, bank employees contributed 3 000 units of ready-to-use blood to the national blood supply, under the Jótett (Good Deed) Bank programme. Through this initiative and the volume of blood donated, the Hungarian Banking Association is setting a forward-looking example for other sectors.
In 2022, the Banking Blood Donor Week lasted for two weeks, due to the high number of bank employees who volunteered to donate blood. Using the blood donated, the staff of the Hungarian National Blood Transfusion Service and the Hungarian Red Cross were able to provide blood and blood products to 3 000 people.
On the closing day of the programme, Sándor Nagy, Deputy Director-General of the Hungarian National Blood Transfusion Service (OVSZ) said that the extra blood provided by bank employees at mobile blood collection points during Banking Blood Donor Week offered them security and predictability. He specifically highlighted that 13% of the blood donors were first-time donors, many of whom may become regular blood donors.
Levente Kovács, Secretary General of the Hungarian Banking Association, emphasised the importance of personal example and social responsibility. He sees Radovan Jelasity, President of the Hungarian Banking Association, as a role model to follow, as he has donated blood for the 38th time. The number of employees participating in the Banking Blood Donor Week is growing dynamically year-by-year, which shows that there is a healthy rivalry among members of the Hungarian Banking Association to make it to one of the top three positions. He hopes that the initiative of the Hungarian Banking Association will be followed by other sectors, to make sure that fresh blood is always available for those who need it. In addition to his banking colleagues, he also expressed his special thanks to the leadership of the Ministry and the Central Bank who supported the event, including Minister of Agriculture István Nagy and Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB), Csaba Kandrács.
In the context of the event series, the Hungarian Banking Association, in co-operation with the Médiaunió Foundation, is launching a blood donation poster competition for students of the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. The aim is to draw the attention of today's Hungarian society and youth to the social obligation to donate blood, through the works of young, contemporary artists.
Budapest, 7 October 2022
Hungarian Banking Association