Bavaria’s Health Minister Judith Gerlach is promoting more blood donations. Gerlach stressed on Thursday, also with a view to the holiday season: “Anyone who donates blood can save the life of a seriously ill or injured person. Only through selfless acts in the form of blood donations can medical treatment of the chronically ill and seriously injured be ensured. Donating blood is therefore a living example of solidarity.”
The minister added: “There is often a decline in donations, particularly in the summer months, due to holidays, which is why blood donation services are increasingly dependent on the support of the population during this period.”
Gerlach explained: “There must always be enough blood units available for emergency care. In Bavaria alone, around 2,000 units of blood are needed every day. Thanks to the continuous commitment of the people of Bavaria, there has not been a shortage of supplies so far. But it is important that people help early and donate blood!”
According to the blood donation service of the Bavarian Red Cross, there are currently around 280,000 active blood donors in Bavaria who donate on average almost twice a year. On average, around five percent of people in Bavaria who are able to donate donate blood. The willingness to donate blood in Bavaria is therefore above the national average (around three percent). Most of the blood is needed to treat cancer patients, followed by heart disease and stomach and intestinal diseases.
The blood donation service of the Bavarian Red Cross (BSD) has faced numerous challenges in recent months. BSD Managing Director Georg Götz said: “Cancelled appointments due to the flood disaster, many public holidays and long weekends in May and most recently the European Football Championship in high temperatures and great weather caused the willingness to donate to drop noticeably. The summer holidays are now the next big challenge. It is therefore all the more important to ensure a continuous supply of vital blood products to ensure that the blood donation appointments offered are fully utilized in the coming weeks.”
Gerlach explained: “One blood donation can help up to three sick or injured people. A blood donation is help that reaches a destination and gives seriously ill patients a chance of survival.”
Potential donors must be at least 18 years old and weigh more than 50 kilograms when they donate blood for the first time. They must bring an official photo ID or driver’s license (the original in each case) and their blood donor card. For first-time donors, an official photo ID is sufficient.
The minister explained: “In Bavaria, a proven system of various blood donation facilities has been established. These include the blood donation service of the Bavarian Red Cross and the blood donation services at the hospitals in Regensburg, Würzburg, Erlangen and Munich.”
Further information and a list of possible blood donation dates in Bavaria are available online, for example at https://www.blutspendedienst.com/.
Press release on the publisher’s website
