LAST weekend the Rotary Club of Durban North held a blood drive at the Durban North Blood Donor Centre, on Swapo Road (Broadway) to try and help with declining blood stocks.

This comes after the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) said blood collections were falling behind demand and placing increasing pressure on the blood supply. The service aims to maintain a five-day blood supply to ensure hospitals have access to blood when patients need it.

Hilary Augustus of the club said the day had two goals, to help boost blood stocks and raise awareness on the End Polio Now campaign led by Rotary International.

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The day took on added significance as World Polio Day is also observed annually on October 24.

“While the event was positive it was quiet in terms of collection as we collected 28 units of blood on the day. This was about us as a club wanting to boost the blood supply stocks while also campaigning for a world free from polio. We’d like to host another blood drive in a few months’ time because blood is always needed,” she said.

Dennis Ngongoma, Donor Relations Practitioner at SANBS, praised the club for their support.

“We commend the Rotary Club for their efforts in helping us bolster our blood stocks. The day went well though the number we had hoped for did not materialise. As Hilary mentioned we collected 28 units, and we had two platelet donors and one plasma donor. There is still a need and we are still in crisis as our blood stocks have declined to just below three days. We need people to come forward in the coming weeks. You can help save people’s lives through a simple, easy donation,” he said.

To meet daily demand, SANBS needs to collect 3500 units of blood nationally. However, collections are currently falling behind demand, placing continued pressure on the national blood supply

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