Johannesburg – With the upcoming festive season around the corner, people from all walks of life have been urged to donate blood in order to save someone’s life these holidays.
The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is calling on Group O and B donors in particular, to give blood at their nearest donor centre and help boost declining blood stocks.
“We need your help to stabilise our stock levels, especially as we prepare for the festive season,” Thandi Mosupye, SANBS senior manager: marketing and communications.
She advised that donors could even donate during load shedding, as all SANBS donor centres are electrified during blackouts.
Mosupye added that the rainy weather experienced across South Africa had prompted many to stay at home, but she urged them to come out and donate blood.
“The rain brings a welcomed relief from the heat of weeks passed but its persistence could threaten our operations, resulting in low collections. This means that we will not be able to meet the minimum of 3 500 units collected daily,” she said.
“Rainy conditions often lead to the cancellation of mobile blood drives, which account for the majority of the blood units collected daily.”
In a bid to improve their supplies these holidays, the SANBS has this week launched the Change a Life campaign which aims to educate donors about platelet donation.
“Platelet donors are crucial in helping us to provide much needed products for the treatment of patients with blood disorders, cancer, and organ recipients,” Mosupye said.
She explained that patients undergoing cancer treatment were highly dependent on regular platelet donations as part of their recovery.
The SANBS is a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO), which provides a vein to vein blood transfusion service in eight of the nine provinces in South Africa, excluding the Western Cape.
The organisation has a donor base of approximately 500 000 and has testing centres; one esch in Johannesburg and Durban which are supplemented by seven blood processing centres around the country.
There are approximately 90 blood banks serving over 1000 hospitals and private clinics in South Africa and the NPO also offers specialised laboratory services. These include tissue immunology, cytogenetic and proficiency testing.
The SANBS is dependent on a healthy donor population which is willing and able to donate blood and blood products to meet the blood requirements of the country. With the help of donors, the NPO has been able to carry out the significant task of collecting blood to meet South Africa’s needs.
Mobile blood drives continue to run across the country. Visit www.sanbs.org.za or call 0800 11 9031 to find a mobile blood drive or donor centre near you.