Madrid Calls for Solidarity: Blood Donation Marathon to Alleviate Summer Decline in Donors

The Madrid’s community started this Tuesday a blood donation marathon in his Transfusion Center with the objective of guaranteeing the reserves and alleviate the decline in donors which takes place during the summer. The special device proposed by the CAM will remain open until next Friday July 14 from 08:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. An initiative announced by the Madrid Health Minister, Fatima Matuteduring his visit to the facilities this morning.

This operation has up to 30 permanent positionsas well as the dependencies that integrate it, such as the conservation chambers and the fractionation room, place where blood is separated into its three components (red blood cells, plasma and platelets). This process allows that at the time of the transfusion the patient receives the blood component that you need for your treatment.

Matute stressed that “we are not just talking about an altruistic act that life jacketbut it is a gesture that allows us to face all the hospital activity during the months of July and August, a time in which the reserves decrease up to 20%since thousands of people from Madrid move out of region to enjoy your holidays.

“Accidents, emergencies and deliveries do not go on vacation” and the only way to be prepared is “thanks to this altruism”

The health officer has appealed to the “solidarity of the people of Madrid” when it comes to maintaining blood reserves during this summer period, because remember that “they don’t go on vacation Accidents, emergencies and deliveries” and the only way to be prepared is “thanks to this altruism”. He also wanted to clarify that the donation is “a very easy process that does not require more than 20 minutes and that allows to help other people to have life”.

In the Community of Madrid, around 240,000 contributions per year and in a surgical intervention, sometimes the equivalent of 20 donations. In addition, to meet the hospital demand, the regional Administration needs other 900 daily, taking into account that some components, such as platelets, expire after five days; and they are needed 650 bags of fresh blood per day to guarantee stocks.

The need to donate plasma by apheresis is recalled, in which one or more blood components are selectively extracted, whether red blood cells, plasma or platelets.

In this sense, this Center reminds us of the need to donate apheresis plasma, in which one or several blood components are selectively extracted, either red blood cells, plasma or platelets. Similarly, people who come up to this point will be invited to visit its facilitiesand acquire more knowledge about the process to which blood is subjected, from its extraction until it is ready for distribution to hospitals and the importance it has for many patients with surgeries or chemotherapy treatments, chronic anemia or women with complicated deliveries, among others.

THE DONATION: A SIMPLE PROCESS

The basic requirements to be a donor are to be between 18 and 65 years, weigh more than 50 kilos and be in good health. It is a simple process that does not last more than 20 minutes and that can be done every 8 weeks, as long as do not do more than 4 times in a period of 12 months in the case of men and 3 in the case of women.

In addition to the Transfusion Center, located in the avenue of democracy s/ncorner with Avenida de las Comunidades in the capital, the citizen who wishes to carry out this gesture has the Mobile Units of the Community of Madrid and Red Crosswhose locations and opening hours can be consulted on the web.