Friday, 27 January 2012

Choose to be a life saver

A woman tragically loses her life due to excessive loss of blood while giving birth, while a child in another hospital ward suffering from leukaemia sadly succumbs to death. Every day patients in Zululand require urgent blood transfusions, which could be their last lifeline. The tragic vehicle collision on the Heatonville road outside Empangeni on Monday, in which one child was killed and two others critically injured, saw the Zululand community rallying together to urgently donate blood. Sixty-four donors walked through the doors of the Zululand Blood Donor Centre in Richards Bay early Tuesday morning, of which 48 were processed.

And while the Zululand community was applauded for their compassionate action and heeding the urgent blood call, the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) says a pint of blood is needed every day to save a life. ‘Over 3 000 units of blood are required daily to ensure that hospitals countrywide have sufficient blood for needy patients,’ says Sister Debbie Duff at the Zululand Blood Donor Centre. ‘When blood is donated at our clinics, it cannot go straight to the patient at hospitals. ‘There are elements within the blood that can be rejected by a patient.

Filtering process
‘Therefore, blood donations are sent to Pinetown where it goes through a filtering process and is separated into different components, including red cells, platelets and plasma. ‘There is also screening of blood groups for sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV,’ added Duff. SANBS also has a special Directed Donation Programme, whereby donations can be made for a specific person. ‘However, one must first agree to a time period of a minimum of 4-5 days before it is allowed. ‘For more information, donors can contact Cheryl Osman at our Special Donor Services in Pinetown on 031 7196556,’ said Duff.

Group ‘O’ type blood is used in emergency cases and for paediatrics, as it is compatible with every blood group and is the best blood to use in many cases for a newborn child. Blood donors must be between the ages of 16 and 65, be in good health, weigh more than 50kg and lead a sexually safe lifestyle. The Zululand Blood Donor Centre is open between 9am and 4.30pm weekdays, 9am to 6pm on the second Thursday of every month and between 8.30 and 1pm on Saturdays. For more information, contact the clinic on 035 7893610.