AS the long Easter weekend approaches, the South African National Blood Services (SANBS) is appealing for more people to register as blood donors and donate blood.
According to Sifiso Khoza, marketing consultant for SANBS’s East Coast region, each year SANBS is faced with the terrible reality that they, as an organisation will not be able to meet the patients’ demand in the country, a situation that they are faced with regularly over the holidays.
“This results in doctors having to hold back on planned operations and having to tell patients, who are in need of blood transfusions for their survival, that there isn’t any blood available,” said Khoza.
He added that blood collections drop significantly during the school and varsity holidays and this is mainly due to the fact that KZN is dependent on the youth (40 per cent) to meet the demand for blood.
“As of 3 April, KZN is on 0.9 day’s cover instead of the five days cover needed in order to be able to supply the hospitals. Without the commitment from our regular blood donors throughout the year, meeting our collection target of blood donations is virtually impossible.
“So we are encouraging all our regular donors and those who have made a conscious decision to join this cause of ‘saving lives’ to become a nation of doers and to ‘not let life get in the way of life’,” said Khoza.
l To donate blood, contact the SANBS centre on 0800 11 9031 or visit: www.SANBS.org.za
