The South African National Blood Services (SANBS) has appealed to citizens countrywide to donate blood. The organization is experiencing shortages of blood stock, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal. The blood service has called on active donors, lapsed and potential donors to go to their local donor centres and donate blood to bolster the national blood stock.
SANBS has already increased clinic times and will also be available in malls for blood donations over weekends. SANBS provincial Medical Manager Dr Solomzi Ngcobo
“We were very critical last week – for instance – on the 1st of November our blood stock was at 0,7 days. They did improve a bit over the weekend as we are sitting at 2,5 days today but ideally we would like to see ten, four to five days. So – again we are making a special appeal to the KZN that they should donate blood and help their fellow citizens. Again the shortage of blood has a severe impact on the patients that we have have in the hospitals. Here we are talking about mothers who are giving birth who would bleed after delivery – those people need blood. We are also talking about patients who have various types of cancers. Those patients also need blood and blood products.”
