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On the occasion of its 15th anniversary, the Haema blood donation center in Schwerin draws attention to the low level of willingness to donate and the importance of blood plasma. Mayor Rico Badenschier also donated.
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He repeatedly presses a red ball with his right hand. At the same time, more and more blood runs out of his body through a tube into a large machine. Gradually, a container fills with a yellowish liquid. Even if Schwerin’s mayor Rico Badenschier is already an experienced blood donor, he has not yet had his plasma taken. But for the 15th anniversary of the Schwerin blood donation center, he has to work. Because the week is all about plasma donation.
“I’ve been donating blood regularly since the beginning of the corona pandemic,” says Rico Badenschier. At that time, the number of donors continued to decline. That’s why he decided to donate blood regularly. As a doctor, he himself knows how important blood products and the plasma itself are.
But the willingness to donate blood in Germany is very low. “Nationwide, only three to five percent of people donate plasma. So there’s still a lot of room for improvement,” says Haema spokeswoman Britta Diebel.
Most donors would primarily donate whole blood. The plasma can also be obtained from this, but less than with a pure plasma donation. “If we only take normal blood, we don’t get enough plasma out,” explains Prof. med. Ralf Knels, Medical Director. But precisely this plasma is at least as important as the other substances in the blood.
More information:
If you want to donate your blood or plasma, you can contact the blood donation center in Schwerin. Either by phone on 0385 20271720 or on the Internet at
www.haema.de/standorte/schwerin.
The 15th birthday promotion is still running for the rest of the week. Vouchers from Schwerin shops await every donor. Donations can be made from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.
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“If we don’t take enough plasma, certain medicines can’t be manufactured and patients can’t be treated,” says Britta Diebel, explaining the consequences. Above all, people with chronic diseases and immune deficiencies are dependent on the plasma, explains Knels in the blood donation center. “If these people do not get the plasma, they often suffer from lung infections,” says Knels. But plasma is also used in cancer therapy.
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It is all the more important to attract donors. “We do a lot of advertising on social media and always have campaigns,” says Jürgen Senge, senior doctor at the blood donation center. He knows that the situation will not improve on its own in the next few years. “Most of the donors are quite old and retire at some point,” he says. And not enough young people are coming.
Jakob Schulz honored for regular blood donation
Jakob Schulz could be a role model. He has been donating blood regularly for more than a year and was honored for his willingness by the mayor of Badenschier and the blood donation center. He then lay down on a lounger like the mayor and donated his plasma.
