HEAD down to Amanzimtoti Civic Centre on Friday, 5 June between noon and 6pm to donate blood at a clinic hosted by the South African National Blood Service (SANBS).
“Our target is between 75 to 100 donors on the day. We will be giving little gifts to all who donate,” said SANBS’ Mohamed Goolam.
At the launch of the South African Blood Donor Month in Johannesburg on Tuesday, 2 June, SANBS COO Ravi Reddy highlighted the challenge: “Our target for 2015 is 815,509 units of blood. We will only achieve this if many of our present donors are able to increase the number of donations they make and if the public replaces donors who have given generously over the years, but can no longer do so.”
South Africa is one of only 62 countries worldwide where the entire blood supply is donated free of charge by volunteers. On 14 June every year, the country joins with others across the globe to mark World Blood Donor Day and expands this event into a month-long campaign to highlight the critical importance of blood donations.
“Many of us do not appreciate the sheer range of situations in which blood plays a life-or-death role. These include everyday occurrences such as child birth and non-emergency surgery, as well as rare blood diseases, cancer treatment and major trauma,” explained Reddy.
Blood donors must be free of blood-borne pathogens, such as HIV and hepatitis B, to protect patients from infection.
To find the nearest donor centre, call 0800-11-9031, visit www.sanbs.org.za, Facebook.com/SANBS and Twitter @theSANBS.
