Donate blood to save a life today
With so many reasons to be a blood donor, Affinity Health urged all South Africans to give blood to keep the world beating.
Did you know that your blood donation can save a life?
June 14 is World Blood Donor Day, which is dedicated to raising global awareness of the need for safe blood.
With so many reasons to be a blood donor, Affinity Health urges all South Africans to give blood to keep the world beating.
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The specific objectives of this year’s World Blood Donor Day campaign were to:
• Thank all blood donors around the world and raise public awareness about the importance of regular, unpaid blood donations.
• Promote blood donation as a way to strengthen community solidarity and social cohesion.
• Encourage young people to respond to the humanitarian call to donate blood and to encourage others to do so as well.
• Recognise the potential of youth as partners in health promotion.
Blood is a precious resource that anyone can donate to help someone who is in need, yet in South Africa, less than 1% are active blood donors despite a minimum of 810 000 units of blood needed to meet the yearly South African demand.
If you’ve never done it before, blood donation can seem a little scary.
Some people may be anxious about the pain of donating blood, worried over the safety measures in place for donors, concerned over the time it takes to donate blood, or the costs involved.
The truth is that donating blood is no more painful than a skin prick as the needle is inserted; after that, it may feel like a dull ache at worst as the blood flows.
The materials used for blood donation, including the needle, blood bags, tubes and finger prick needle, are new, sterile and disposable, making blood donation safe.
Donating blood won’t take longer than an hour and 15 minutes, from the time you arrive until you leave, and won’t cost you a cent, either.
The blood donation process in five steps is:
Step 1: Eat a meal four hours before going to the donor centre
Step 2: Completion of donor questionnaire
Step 3: Interview with SANBS nurse
Step 4: Blood pressure, blood iron levels, and weight measured
Step 5: Give blood
“Knowing that with a single donation you could save three lives makes donating your blood worth it,” said Murray Hewlett, CEO of Affinity Health.
“One never knows whether you, a close friend or a family member could well be the next car accident victim or surgery candidate requiring a transfusion.”
According to the SANBS, due to the coronavirus, the service has seen a sharp decline in its blood stocks.
As such, SANBS is urging South Africans to register as blood donors.
To assist in this quest to collect more units of blood, Affinity Enterprises, through its CSI initiative – The 100% Foundation – regularly hosts blood drives across the country.
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