Code of donation

This Code was developed and adopted by WHO and the General Assembly of the International Blood Transfusion Society (ISBT) on July 12, 2000.

1. Blood donation, including donation of hematopoietic tissues for transplantation, should be voluntary and free of charge under any circumstances; there should not be any coercion with respect to the donor. The donor must give informed consent to the donation of blood or blood components and their subsequent legitimate use by the blood service.
2. Patients should be notified of the known risks and benefits of blood transfusion and / or alternative therapies and have the right to accept or refuse the procedure. Any normative document adopted in the future should be taken into account.
3. In case the patient is unable to give prior informed consent, the basis for transfusion therapy should be the maximum consideration of the patient’s interests.
4. Making a profit should not serve as a basis for the establishment and operation of a blood service.
5. The donor should be notified of the risk associated with the procedure of the blood donation; the health of the donor and his safety must be protected. Any procedures associated with the introduction of a donor to substances that increase the concentration of any blood components should be carried out in accordance with internationally accepted standards.
6. Anonymity between the donor and the recipient should be provided, except for special situations, and the confidentiality of information about the donor should be guaranteed.
7. The donor should be aware of the risk of donating infected blood to others and his moral responsibility to the recipient.
8. Blood donation should be based on regularly reviewed criteria for medical selection without any discrimination based on sex, race, nationality or religion. Neither the donor nor the potential recipient has the right to demand that any such discrimination be practiced.
9. Taking blood is carried out under the full responsibility of the registered medical worker of proper qualifications.
10. All issues related to whole blood donation and hemapheresis must comply with standards that are duly determined and accepted by the international community.
11. The donor and the recipient must be informed if they have been harmed.
12. Transfusion therapy should be performed under the overall responsibility of the registered medical professional.
13. The only reason for transfusion therapy should be a clear clinical need.
14. Financial considerations should not be the cause of the appointment of blood transfusion.
15. Blood is a public resource that should be publicly available.
16. The patient, as far as possible, should receive those individual components (cells, plasma, plasma derivatives) that are clinically indicated and safest.
17. In order to safeguard the interests of potential recipients and the donor, the write-off of blood products should be avoided due to the expiration of the shelf life.
18. The blood service established by national or international health authorities and others is vested with competence and rights to operate in accordance with this code of ethics.