With great pleasure I welcome you to the City of Groningen. In more than
one way there is cause for celebration. Today marks the third lustrum of
the annual international sympo- sium on blood transfusion, organized by
the Rode Kruis Bloedbank Groningen-Drenthe. In my opinion it has been a
remarkable initiative of the Bloedbank, to start organizing a scientific
conference, as it did, in 1976. It meant, among others, that in case of
success the initiative would grow to be an annual item on the
international congress calen- der. It also meant that a possible third
lustrum would coincide with the celebration of the 950th anniversary of
the City of Groningen. I am happy to note that the initiative has been
successful: over the past fourteen years the Rode Kruis Bloedbank
Groningen-Drenthe has succeeded in organizing an annual symposium on
blood transfusion, with a different theme each year, and with an average
attendance of 250 participants from some 26 countries world-wide. The
platform created with the special formula of the symposium, for science
and industry, has been well balanced and beneficial to both. Mr.
Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I like to compliment the organizers with
the success that they have attained. Allow me to men- tion the name of
just one person, in whom I like to thank everyone who has been involved
in creating the annual Bloedbank-symposia: my warm congratulations to
Dr. Smit Sibinga and his staff.