As families plan their vacations, staycations and pilgrimages for the Easter weekend, the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is bracing itself to deal with an increased demand for blood.

Compounding an already difficult situation is the reality that the SANBS has been consistently recording low collections for over six months and the pressure is mounting.

The Easter long weekend is synonymous with high rates of road accidents and while we hope for the best, we anticipate that this year will be no different,” said Thandi Mosupye, SANBS Senior Manager: Marketing, Brand and Communication.

“We have, unfortunately, struggled to reach the minimum required levels of blood stocks for several months. The Easter weekend finds us at a time when blood collection is already difficult,” she added.

SANBS has appealed to donors to make their way to their closest mobile blood drive or donor centre to give much-needed blood.

Unfortunately when the holidays arrive, the demand for blood does not decrease. We still need to collect at least 3 500 units of blood daily to adequately meet patients’ daily needs. For every day that we are unable to achieve this target, our total units of available blood keep depleting,” Mosupye added.

As people consider taking a holiday or embarking on their religious journey, SANBS urged everyone to spare 30 minutes of their time to make a huge difference to others in need of blood. Easter is often a time for family and donating blood is a great way of giving someone else more time with theirs.

If you are in good health and between the ages of 16 and 75, weigh more than 50kg, and lead a sexually safe lifestyle, make your way to your nearest donor
centre.

To find out where your nearest donor centre is visit www.sanbs.org.za or call toll free 0800 11 9031.