SANBS needs blood urgently
The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) has launched an urgent appeal for blood.
According to SANBS national marketing manager Silungile Mlambo, the country’s blood stock is dangerously low.
“The blood supply is currently at just 1.5 days Group O stock, amounting to less than 1 500 units of O blood available around the country.
“A healthy blood stock is 5 000 units of O blood a day. Therefore the current situation, simply, is critical.
“We are appealing to South Africans – active donors and lapsed donors – to stand together right now to bolster the national blood stock, and we thank them, in advance, for pulling together,” said Mlambo.
Mlambo added that blood is critical for cancer patients and women in childbirth, who constitute by far the greatest groups of people requiring blood transfusions.
“So many people in life-threatening situations require blood. It’s what saves a haemorrhaging mother’s life, so that she can raise and love the baby she has just brought into the world. It’s what saves someone suffering complications during major surgery. It’s what helps cancer patients endure and survive treatment.
“And that’s the point: it’s not just blood. It’s saving people’s lives, through a simple, easy donation,” said Mlambo.
Moreover, the organisation appeals to citizens to become regular donors.
“By donating blood only four times a year, we can easily avoid situations such as the one in which we find ourselves in,” said Mlambo.
To find out more about donating blood and to locate your nearest SANBS donor centre, visit sanbs.org.za or call 0800 11 90 31.
