CRISIS – Less than two days of donor blood available in SA
Help save lives by donating blood.
THE country’s blood stocks are critically low and the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) urges those who are able to donate, to do so.
“Our national blood supply is currently at just 1.6 days’ group O stock, amounting to just over 1,500 units of O blood available around the country.
The situation, simply, is critical. We need South Africans – active, lapsed and potential donors – to stand together right now to bolster the national blood stock,” said Silungile Mlambo, national marketing manager for the SANBS.
“While we need sufficient blood stock to cope with periods such as the Easter weekend, by far the greatest proportion of blood is required in other situations, such as in childbirth and for cancer patients.
So many people in life-threatening situations require blood. It’s what saves that haemorrhaging mother’s life, so that she can raise and love the baby she has just brought into the world. It’s what saves someone suffering complications during major surgery. It’s what helps that cancer patient endure and survive treatment.
And that’s the point: it’s not just blood. It’s saving people’s lives, through a simple, easy donation,” said Mlambo.
Become regular donors to ensure blood levels remain at high enough levels to stave off this crisis. Blood donors must be aged from 16 to 65-years-old, weigh more than 50kg and live a sexually-safe lifestyle.
Contact the South Durban Donor Clinic at Southway Mall on 031-459-0986 or go to sanbs.org.za for information.
