Alarming #blood shortage: #DRK Blood Donation Service West urgently appeals to the population to donate blood!
The situation is very critical: far too few people have donated blood during the summer holidays. The hospitals’ blood supply requirements must therefore be significantly reduced.
“In order to ensure the care of seriously ill patients in the coming weeks, we now need significantly more blood donations,” warns press spokesman Stephan David Küpper from the DRK Blood Donation Service West. The outlook for the future does not bode well either: the utilization of the blood donation appointments offered by the DRK Blood Donation Service West has fallen to an all-time low. “In the coming weeks, less than 50 percent of the available appointment slots in the appointment reservation system will be occupied. In good times, this rate is over 80 percent,” Küpper continues.
The annual summer slump was already apparent in May. Holidays and long weekends caused blood donations to plummet. The European Football Championship and the summer holidays further exacerbated the situation. In addition, the “long-distance travel factor” is leading to a further decline: anyone who has vacationed in malaria areas, for example, is not allowed to donate blood for six months.
The measures initiated by the blood donation service, such as special campaigns and increased appeals, only brought short-term relief. The blood bank stocks are now exhausted. In the case of Rhesus negative blood products, the demand is only sufficient to cover a little over a day. #Hospitals have to drastically reduce their requirements.
A widespread misconception deters many potential donors: “You can no longer donate blood after a certain age.” “This is not correct,” stresses the press spokesman for the blood donation service. Blood donations are possible regardless of age, even for first-time donors or after a long break.
The DRK Blood Donation Service West appeals to the population in #NRW, #Rhineland #Palatinate and #Saarland to urgently attend blood donation appointments. In order to refill the blood storage facilities and ensure supplies, the DRK #Blood Donation Service West needs up to 3,500 blood donations every day. Companies can also support the DRK by calling on their employees to donate blood.
How can I help?
The DRK Blood Donation Service West offers up to 50 blood donation appointments every day. Detailed information and the option to arrange a personal blood donation appointment can be found centrally at www.blutspende.jetzt or by phone (free of charge) at +498001194911On the day of the donation, donors should drink plenty of fluids, have eaten something and bring an official #photo ID (#identity card or #driver’s license). Even when the #outside temperature is high, there is nothing to stop you from #donating blood.
