It comes as reliably as Christmas or New Year: the summer shortage of blood supplies. Traditionally, too few blood donations are made during the summer holidays, and so reserves are running low again this year.
The German Red Cross (DRK) has now announced that 15,000 blood donations are needed every day across the country. “High competition from leisure activities means that the required donations are not being received in many places,” said the federal spokesman for the DRK blood donation services, Patric Nohe. “The DRK blood donation services have therefore had to resort to their reserves, which have now largely been used up.”
Even if blood is “really scarce”: “We do not have a nationwide emergency with blood products,” Nohe explains. “Anyone who gets into trouble now and ends up in hospital will still get a blood unit.” The DRK blood donation services say they cover around 75 percent of blood donations nationwide.
Postponement of operations
According to Nohe, the reason for the current blood shortage is the recent public holidays, the European Football Championship and the holiday season. During this time, the willingness to donate is low. “In addition, it was hardly possible to create buffer reserves due to the short shelf life.” The blood that is currently being donated is used immediately. “Everything that comes in goes out again straight away.”
The situation is particularly critical in North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Lower Saxony. “In some cases, planned operations have already had to be postponed,” said Nohe. But nationwide, too, there is “clearly room for improvement.” “It is now crucial that we make full use of all the appointments offered in the coming weeks in order to maintain the supply of vital blood products.”
In order to motivate donors to donate blood, “the greatest logistical and communicative effort is currently required,” explained Nohe. “The baby boomers currently form the foundation of blood donors in Germany.” However, despite the removal of the upper age limit, many older people are no longer allowed to donate due to medication or illness. This is why young people are particularly in demand: “Even two blood donations per year could help.”
If the situation does not improve, further planned operations in hospitals will be postponed. Nohe: “Basically, blood cannot be produced artificially. If no one went to donate blood anymore, it would quickly end in a major catastrophe.”
