Blood donation rates increase 52 per cent
THE amount of blood donated in the TRNC last year was 52 per cent higher than in 2020, according to new figures from the North Cyprus Turkish Red Crescent (KKTK).
The KKTK said 9,029 units of blood were donated in 2021, compared to 5,947 units in the previous year, based on data from the Lefkoşa Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital Blood Bank.
While the 2021 figure was the highest since the joint KKTKHealth Ministry blood donation campaign began in 2017, the amount was still well short of the average of 20,000 units of blood that the KKTK says the country needs annually.
Other statistics revealed that 29,828 units of blood have been collected at 1,287 blood donation events across the TRNC since 2017 and that 46,036 people have received “blood donation awareness training”.
Of those giving blood, 24 per cent did so for the first time and 76 per cent were repeat donors, while the overwhelmingly majority – 98 per cent – were male.
The KKTK said in a statement that blood delivered to the Blood Bank “saves lives during dialysis, surgery, for injuries, internal bleeding, births and organ transplants”, and especially for thalassaemia and cancer patients.
The statement noted that “professional healthcare personnel” accompanied the KKTK’s mobile blood donation vehicles and that blood donation activities were carried out “all over the country with a high level of hygiene and pandemic measures, and single-use and sterile materials were used throughout the blood donation process”.
The statement explained that candidates who fill out an inquiry form can donate blood if deemed suitable after a physical and medical evaluation and that donating blood takes about 15 minutes, after which donors can “go about their daily life from right where they left off”.