Why it’s essential to have a blood bank
Learn all you need to know about blood donation and become a dedicated donor.
THE SANBS is a non-profit organisation and its key purpose is to save patients’ lives by providing safe, sufficient and good quality blood products and medical services related to blood transfusion in an equitable and cost effective manner.
The community is encouraged to help build blood stocks for the month of March by becoming regular blood donors.
SANBS operates across South Africa, with the exclusion of the Western Cape and is tasked with collecting, transporting, testing and storing blood required for patients daily. For this reason, the SANBS has a fee for service and this is billed depending on the blood product that is required by the patient together with all other operating costs.
It is important to note that the SANBS does not sell blood to patients but provides a service that ensures that all government and private hospitals meet their daily blood needs.
Being a not-for-profit business, ownership of SANBS assets are not vested in its members. In the event that SANBS should stop operating, its assets would have to be transferred to an organisation with similar goals and objectives.
Citizens are encouraged to donate blood to help save the lives of patients in need of blood transfusions. Every unit of blood is vital and once tested and deemed safe for transfusion is separated into, red blood cells, platelets and Plasma. Therefore a unit of blood has more than one life saving use and can save up to three people’s lives.
Research has shown that SANBS requires more regular blood donors to consistently meet the country’s demand for blood. Regular donors are required to donate blood every 56 days therefore donating three to four times a year. Regular blood donors are the safest donors, simply because they become more familiar with donor requirements and gain a better understanding of SANBS’s education processes and ultimately have an awareness of what risk behaviour entails.
Minimum requirements to be a donor include being between the ages of 16 and 65 years, weighing more than 50kg, being in good health and living a sexually safe lifestyle.
People who meet the minimum requirements are encouraged to become regular blood donors.
Contact 0800 11 9031 or visit www.sanbs.org.za, Facebook.com/SANBS or Twitter @theSANBS
