The municipalities of Primorsko and Tsarevo have introduced incentives for blood donors. Tsarevo Municipality is providing vouchers for visits to the Historical Museum in the town. In Primorsko, donors can receive vouchers for visits to both the Historical Museum and the Begliktash archaeological reserve. This was announced by the Department of Transfusion Hematology at the University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment (UMBAL) in Burgas.
BTA recalls that two years ago, UMBAL - Burgas and Burgas Municipality launched an initiative to encourage voluntary blood donation by providing vouchers for visits to tourist attractions.
Since the start of the campaign with tourist vouchers in Burgas, over 600 people have benefited from them. The most frequent requests were to visit the "Aquae Calidae" complex – 370, followed by Saint Anastasia Island and the fishing village "Chengene Skale", announced Dr. Svetoslav Todorov, Deputy Director of UMBAL - Burgas and the author of the idea.
UMBAL - Burgas continues to report an increase in the number of blood donors. For the first quarter of this year, blood donors in Burgas numbered 2,644, of which 902 donated for the first time. A comparison with the same period last year shows nearly 100 more people, and first-time donors are up by 120.
Public campaigns play an important role in the efforts to ensure sufficient quantities of blood and blood components. They make the process more accessible, convenient, and visible, while combining them with local government initiatives creates a sustainable model for attracting new donors, according to the announcement from the Department of Transfusion Hematology at UMBAL in Burgas. Through visits to the municipalities, many people who have the desire but lack the opportunity to travel to Burgas are reached. Among the new donors are many representatives of the Russian-speaking communities residing in the region. They regularly organize blood donation campaigns not only for their fellow citizens but also for all patients in need – as a gesture of gratitude to the Bulgarian state, which has become their second home, the department informed.