THE woman giving birth. The cancer patient. The man undergoing open-heart surgery. All of these people – and those who love them – rely on one thing: blood donations.
Their lives and their futures are at stake. But South Africa’s bloodstock is currently desperately low, and all of them are at risk.
“Our national blood supply is currently at just 2.4 days’ Group O stock, amounting to just over 2113 units of O blood available around the country, while in KZN the blood supply is on 1.5 days’ Group O,” said the regional marketing manager for the South African National Blood Service (SANBS), Sifiso Khoza.
“The situation, simply, is critical. We need South Africans – active donors, lapsed donors and potential donors – to come forward right now to bolster the national bloodstock. So many people in life-threatening situations require blood.”
“It is what saves that haemorrhaging mother’s life so that she can raise and love the baby she has just brought into the world. It is what saves someone from suffering complications during major surgery. It is 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,” he said.
SANBS is therefore making an earnest appeal for South Africans to step forward and donate blood.
“SANBS also appeals to South Africans to become regular donors. By donating blood only four times a year, we can easily avoid situations such as the one in which we find ourselves,” Khoza added.
Furthermore, the organisation appeals to the public to make venues available for blood drives. Suitable venues include spaces accessible and open to the public. The SANBS is a non-profit organisation, which provides an essential service in the country.
To find the nearest donor centre call 080-011-9031, visit www.sanbs.org.za, like the SANBS Facebook page or follow them on Twitter @theSANBS. Alternatively, visit SANBS’s new donor centre at the Bluff Towers Mall on 318 Tara Road.
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