BLOOD INSTITUTE CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE REINFORCEMENT OF BLOOD DONATIONS
Lisbon, January 25, 2022 (Lusa) – Instituto do Sangue da Transplantação today appealed for the contribution of all potential donors, at a “particularly demanding time” due to the covid-19 pandemic and in the face of “a great difficulty in maintaining stable blood and blood component supply reserves”.
The situation has “caused a large reduction in the number of donors and the postponement of previously scheduled collection sessions”.
“Despite all the reinforcement in the promotion of blood donation, namely through radio ‘spots’ and on social networks, it is necessary to mobilize all those who are in a position to make a blood donation, namely those who have never donated blood and those who have not made a donation for more than a year, thus contributing to the essential stability of reserves. It is very important to immediately reinforce blood donations, because only then can patients receive the treatments they need”, appeals the IPST.
“Portuguese hospitals need between 800 and 1,000 units of blood and blood components every day and it is never too much to remember that blood components have a limited storage time (35 to 42 days for erythrocyte concentrates and five to seven days for platelets).
Blood donors, being men, can only make their donation every three months and, if they are women, every four months”, was added.
According to the institute, “to the present date (…) the reserves of hospitals and in the IPST were between 15 and 47 days considering the reserve of erythrocyte concentrates in hospitals, almost all blood groups are needed “O positive”, “O negative”, “B negative”, “A positive” and “A negative”.
The institute recalls that if the candidates for the donation have had Covid19 they must wait 14 days and those who had the booster vaccine must wait seven days to apply.
The IPST provides information on donations on the www.ipst.pt website and information on collection locations at www.dador.pt.
PLEASE CHECK the links to find locations nearest to you.
Call or email first to enquire their times of operation and conditions for blood donation. Information also on website https://www.ipst.pt/index.php/pt/
Organizations and locations also here:
https://fasportugal.org/associacoes/