The Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) has opened a new blood donation center in Sinop, on the Black Sea coast in northern Türkiye, expanding its collection network with a facility targeting 2,400 units of voluntary blood donations annually.
The Mehmet Küçükbaş Kızılay Blood Donation Center, located in Barış Manço Park in the city's Yeni Mahalle neighborhood, is the fifth blood collection unit operated by the Central Black Sea Regional Blood Center.
The 55-square-meter (590-square-foot) facility has four beds and aims to make blood donation more accessible, strengthen ties with donors and encourage first-time donors to join the life-saving effort.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Kızılay Deputy Secretary-General Şükrü Can said blood donation connects people through an invisible bond.
He said the organization collected more than 3 million blood donations in 2025 and delivered them to people in need across Türkiye.
“Blood is a product that cannot be manufactured,” Can said, stressing that the country needs donations every day.
He explained that blood is collected at 350 locations nationwide, examined and tested at regional laboratories in 18 locations, and delivered to 1,600 hospitals on the same day.
Can thanked donors for their contributions and expressed hope that the new center would benefit residents of Sinop.
Deputy Governor Cevat Gün also addressed the ceremony, describing the Kızılay as an institution built on centuries of accumulated social experience.
Gün said such institutions should be kept away from daily disputes and unnecessary rivalries, adding that he was pleased to see blood donation services provided at a dedicated center.
Following the speeches, Can presented plaques of appreciation to philanthropist Mehmet Küçükbaş, Deputy Governor Gün and Sinop Deputy Mayor Aysun Özsönmez for their contributions to the facility's construction.
