THE donor centre at South African National Blood Services (SANBS) head office in Mount Edgecombe has re-opened, which means donors, old and new, from north Durban can now donate blood closer to home again.

With blood stocks at a critically low level in the country and province at the moment, donor relations practitioner Dennis Ngongoma said the re-opening could not have come at a better time.

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“Blood stock levels in South Africa are currently sitting at two days, and for KwaZulu-Natal, the supply is under two days. We urge new donors who are healthy and meet the donation criteria to register to become donors. One donation saves three lives,” he said.

Ngongoma said drives at malls and events will still carry on, and those who cannot donate at these drives can do so at the centre.

“Eventually, we will introduce donations of other blood products, such as platelets and plasma, but for now, the focus is on whole blood,” he added.

Neelashen Govender, head of marketing for SANBS, said stocks were at an all-time low for various reasons, however, the Covid-19 pandemic and the repercussions following that are the main ones.

“During Covid, most companies and institutions either worked remotely or conducted their services online. This meant we could not go to places of work and tertiary institutions for blood donations. It was the same with schools, and although learners are back, we still have employees working remotely and students completing their studies online or only going to campus a few days a week. This has contributed tremendously to our stocks being at a low,” said Govender.

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Employees that were retrenched and businesses that closed are also the cause, but momentarily, the cold and flu season has stopped donors from donating.

“We used to have clinics open till late in the evenings, but people are reluctant to go out as they have safety concerns due to escalating crime rates. There are all these obstacles, but we still try our very best to recruit new donors, and when we see an opportunity for a blood drive, we grab it with both hands,” he added.

Businesses, organisations and event hosts are encouraged to contact Govender should they want to host a blood drive.

“Existing donors, who were notified via email and SMS, are encouraged to spread the word to others. The centre is also open to anyone who may have any questions related to blood donations and to those who would like a tour,” he said.

The clinic is located at 52 Siphosethu Rd, Mount Edgecombe, 4302, and is open from Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 16:00, and on Saturdays, from 9:00 to 13:00. For more information, call 031 719 6500.

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