Give your pint before going away for the Easter holidays

THE South African National Blood Service (SANBS) implemented a mass blood drive on Human Rights Day to recruit new donors and ensure there is sufficient stock of safe blood available in South Africa.

The drive is ongoing, said SANBS donor relations practitioner Trude Gaarekoe. “We are looking for donors, and not just once-off, but regular donors,” she said.

Following the drive, Gaarekoe continued to encourage everyone between the ages of 16 and 65 to become a regular donor.

“The main criteria is that one should be leading a healthy sexual lifestyle and should weigh 50kg and above,” she explained.

The donor relations practitioner also emphasised the importance of having a meal three to four hours prior to donating and plenty of fluids after donation. However, most people don’t know their blood group and there are a few perceptions and myths around blood donation, she pointed out.

“People think that after donating blood a few times you will be short of blood and there’s just a lack of knowledge,” she added.

She urged all suitable donors to visit their donor centres for more information.

“Less than one per cent of South Africans donate blood even though it demands little more than giving up 30 minutes of their time at least twice a year,” said Silungile Mlambo, chief marketing officer for SANBS.

“That means that we often experience shortages, which place lives at risk, lives of babies born prematurely, lives of accident victims, lives of women giving birth and the lives of people fighting cancer.

“The beauty of blood donation is that virtually anyone can do it. You don’t need to have money or live in a fancy house or have a degree or a fancy car. And by giving blood you can save up to three people’s lives. So something that costs you nothing is absolutely priceless for someone in need of blood. Nobody can make a greater impact than saving someone else’s life,” added Mlambo.

The donor centre in Kempton Park is located at 20 Central Avenue.