South Africa
Blood donors urged to come forward this festive season─── ZENANDE MPAME 06:30 Mon, 09 Dec 2024
Christmas holidays, one of the busiest times of the year, are associated with trauma and accidents, creating a need for blood donations.
SANBS will open most of its blood donation centres in Central South Africa until the last day of December to accommodate donors wishing to donate over the holiday season.
The blood service will host blood drives in Bloemfontein, Clarens, Ficksburg, Kroonstad, Phuthaditjhaba, and Upington from Saturday (7/12) till Tuesday, 31 December. Other blood drives may be viewed on the SANBS website.
The blood services embarked on a Red Saturday big bleed on Saturday (30/11) to collect 5,000 blood units to lessen the blood supply strain during the busy holiday season.
“We would like to thank all blood donors who participated in Red Saturday when, during this event, SANBS collected 6,870 units of blood across South Africa,” said Free State and Northern Cape Head of Donor Relations Jana Wallace.
With the summer campaign, including Red Saturday, the service wants to encourage first-time donors to make blood donation a lifelong habit and to increase awareness of the value of routine blood donation.
Anyone between 16 and 75 years old who weighs more than 50 kg may donate, but the summer campaign strongly focuses on young people. By donating, they not only help to save lives but raise awareness among their peers.
“Young donors are typically in good health and less likely to have underlying conditions that could complicate the donation process, making them ideal candidates for maintaining blood bank reserves,” said Wallace.
Donating blood is a great way for young people to learn more about their health. “The screening process before donation includes checks for blood pressure, haemoglobin levels, and other vital signs, providing valuable health insights at no cost.”
Over the festive time, schools, universities, and businesses close down, affecting the blood stocks as most of the blood is collected from these institutions.
The current blood stock levels at SANBS. Photo: sanbs.org.za
To keep South Africa’s healthcare system strong and equipped to handle any challenge, SANBS hopes to greatly increase blood donations and promote continued community involvement through the combined efforts of the summer campaign.
Every unit of donated blood can save at least three lives as blood is separated into red blood cells, plasma, and platelets.
