[50 years of blood transfusion services of the Swiss Red Cross].

In the postwar years the Swiss Red Cross set up and developed a blood transfusion service based on strictly nonremunerated donation. It comprises the Blood Transfusion Service Central Laboratory foundation in Berne and the Swiss Red Cross Regional Blood Transfusion Centres association. The Central Laboratory's responsibilities cover provision of stable blood plasma products and transfusion equipment and the organization of extensive services in the entire field of transfusion medicine. The Regional Centres supply the country with labile cellular blood preparations. The growth of this organization over the last 50 years is described.