SANBS says thank you to donors
On World Blood Donor Day, we thank South African donors for the priceless gift they give freely, generously and with no expectation of reward - SANBS
POLOKWANE – How often do you get the urge to help others in your community but you never get around to it? It’s either you don’t have the time or you don’t have the funds to make a big difference.
NEWS FLASH: You do not need to give a lot to help someone in need. Donating blood is an act of kindness and could save a life.
Today is World Blood Donor Day and the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) would like to thank eligible donors who regularly donate a pint of blood, and in so doing, become members of the medical team that saves South African lives.
#DA Provincial Leader of Limpopo, Jacques Smalle and members at #SANBS today in Polokwane #WorldBloodDonorDay @AfricanTimesSA pic.twitter.com/rZKXQYGvkq
— Khomotjo Huma (@KhomotjoH) June 14, 2017
“Blood donors are heroes,” says Silungile Mlambo, national marketing manager of (SANBS). “They literally keep their fellow South Africans, sick people, tiny babies, new moms, surgery and trauma patients, alive. If it weren’t for blood donors, many thousands of us would not be here today. In fact, 80% of all South Africans will receive a blood donation at least once in their lifetime.”
Donors will tell you donating is a simple, relatively painless procedure that takes up to 30 minutes of your time, once every two months.
Donors are the very lifeblood of the nation’s healthcare sector, of clinical and surgical medicine and, increasingly, of research that’s helping scientists understand (and find cures for) immune diseases, many cancers and a range of blood disorders.
Review readers know of baby Mia le Grange who was born prematurely at 26 weeks. She needed a blood transfusion shortly after birth and without regular donors, that would not have been possible.
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“It makes no difference if you’re a donor or if you aren’t,” says Mlambo, “if you get sick or injured and you need blood, we’ll do our best to get it to you. This will happen whether you are a private or public-sector patient. It will happen whether you are on medical aid or not. It will happen whether you are young or old. We say this because of the 479 000 registered South African blood donors who provide the 3 000 units of blood the country needs every single day.”
There’s absolutely no question that the blood is safe. Every pint undergoes rigorous testing to ensure this. In fact, says Mlambo, South Africa has the best testing technology in the world, and tracks every drop of blood from donor right through storage, transport and testing until it is used in a medical or clinical facility to save a life.
“On World Blood Donor Day, we thank South African donors for the priceless gift they give freely, generously and with no expectation of reward. They are literally the lifeblood of the nation. The SANBS, and the millions of people whose lives have been saved, thank them,” Mlambo says.
To find out more about donating blood and to locate your nearest SANBS donor centre, visit sanbs.org.za or call 0800 11 90 31.
