Donors’ role highlighted during drive for 4 500 units of blood

THE South African National Blood Service set out to collect 4 500 units of blood yesterday in a Human Rights Day blood drive.

It was also the start of the #NewBlood recruitment campaign which was launched to encourage new donors and ensure sufficient stocks of safe blood, particularly in advance of the Easter holidays.

“Less than 1% of South Africans donate blood, even though it demands little more than giving 30 minutes of their time at least twice a year,” SANBS chief marketing officer Silungile Mlambo said.

“This means we often experience shortages, which place lives at risk.”

Mlambo said blood was needed to save the lives of premature babies, accident victims, women giving birth and patients fighting cancer.

She said yesterday’s initiative was in response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s plea for people to become agents of change.

“Holidays are unfortunately the time when we traditionally run short of blood because we are not able to host our regular drives at schools and university campuses,” Mlambo said.

“This year the SANBS wants to start turning things around. The #NewBlood campaign is asking you to lend a hand by becoming a regular blood donor.”

Dr Craig Parker, who works in the Victoria Hospital in Alice, said blood shortages were a very real problem.

“By far the biggest need for us is in obstetrics,” Parker, who had brought his son Adon, 16, to the Beacon Bay SANBS centre to donate blood yesterday, said.

“We do struggle, especially when there is an emergency – sometimes a patient needs two or three units, but we only have one.

“At other times young healthy women might die after giving birth because we gave the last unit to the woman before her.”