SANBS needs your blood to save a life

The SANBS needs blood type O the most.

Linda Bester and Sonja Swanepoel answered the call of the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) who currently only have blood for the next five days. The mother and daughter pair joined 59 other donors at the SANBS blood drive at Springs Mall on Saturday morning. Less than one per cent of South Africans are active donors and every unit of blood can save a minimum of three lives as blood is separated into red blood cells, plasma and platelets.

As of today, the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) only has enough blood for the next five days.

With the festive season comes a lot more accidents, resulting in victims who might need a blood transfusion to stay alive.

Despite the demand for blood increasing, the SANBS usually sees a drop in donations due to businesses and schools being closed.

Also read:

SANBS has a blood donation drive

Terrance Pillay, spokesperson for SANBS, says they are encouraging donors to please continue to donate at one of the nearest donor centres during this period.

The SANBS needs blood type O the most.

“This is a universal blood group that can be transfused to other groups in times of emergency.

“Also, almost 39 per cent of the South African population has this blood type,” says Pillay.

Also read:

Put blood donation on your to-do list

To donate, you can find a donor centre at Springs Mall.

They are open from 10am to 6pm on Mondays to Fridays, Saturdays from 9am to 3pm and are closed on Sundays.

All centres will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.