The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is privileged to acknowledge, thank and celebrate women, together with the rest of South Africa, especially those who make up our national blood donor base.
Women make up over 45% of our national donor base and many women’s lives have been saved through blood transfusions. The SANBS knows the extent to which the lives of women and those of their family members can be changed through transfusions given that almost 28% of the blood issued is used in childbirth and gynaecological emergencies.
“We are passionate about women, whose role is critical to the country’s blood supply. As caregivers, nurturers and mentors, they are the perfect protagonists for blood donation and to send a message that donating blood is the right thing to do,” expressed Dr Karin van den Berg, SANBS Medical Director. “Let us give back to the mothers, aunts, grandmothers and sisters who played pivotal roles in raising us, by donating blood,” van den Berg implored. With one blood donation you can save up to 3 lives. This is because a unit of blood is separated into 3 components: red cells, platelets and plasma.
Red blood cells are typically used to replace blood volume of a person who has lost a lot of blood, e.g. during a car accident or childbirth, plasma for people suffering from blood disorders, e.g. haemophilia, and platelets for a cancer patient, whose platelets have been destroyed by chemotherapy.
Join us this Monday, 9 August 2021 and donate a unit of blood in honour of the women of our nation, past and present, who cement themselves and make our country a better place. To find out more about where you can donate blood, visit www.sanbs.org.za or call 0800 11 90 31. Connect with us on Twitter (@theSANBS), Facebook (@SANBS) and Instagram (@thesanbs).
About the SANBS The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is an independent non-profit organisation, and one of the leaders in the discipline of blood transfusion worldwide. This pedigree comes, as a result of world-class testing and collection protocols which ensure that the blood which is transfused is always of top quality. The SANBS issues over one million blood products annually for the treatment of various medical procedures and emergencies. The company operates in eight provinces in South Africa, with the exception of the Western Cape, which is serviced by the Western Cape Blood Service. It also provides crucial support to countries in the SADC region. The blood collected is processed into its constituent components; red blood cells, plasma and platelets therefore in principle a single blood donation can save up to three lives. 
