Blood drive takes off at Greenside High
Over the course of the year, Greenside High has collected approximately 80 units of blood, helping to save the lives of about 240 people.
There is a shortage of blood in South Africa and blood donation is a service which is very much needed.
On any day in the year, there is only enough stock of blood for two days. Therefore, it is imperative that blood donation be an ongoing service. Blood may be donated only every 56 days to give the body time to recover from the donation.
“We had two very successful blood drives during the course of 2017, with one in each of the first two terms,” said William Wareham, marketing liaison officer at Greenside High School.
“In the past, we have hosted four blood drives per year. However, SANBS (South African National Blood Service) has noted that learners’ iron levels are dropping with four donations per year and have changed their legislation to collect from schools only twice in a given year.”
Wareham said the process of donating blood can be very tedious as donors have to fill in a new health questionnaire each time [they donate blood] and talk to the clinic sister about their health.
“Each donor’s iron levels and blood pressure need to be checked to ensure the individual is well enough to donate blood. There are many practices which exclude donors from donating their blood. This means that often only two out of three donors are able to bleed for our cause,” added Wareham.
“We would like to thank all the staff for their patience on the two days of the blood clinics and thank the learners for donating their blood. Each person’s unit of blood can save three lives.”
Over the course of the year, Greenside High has collected approximately 80 units of blood, helping to save the lives of about 240 people.
Related:
Join the blood drive for Mandela Day at Melrose Arch
Support the SANBS blood drive at Killarney Mall this weekend
