St. John of God Hospital, San Fernando

San Fernando Hospital launches blood donation campaign before Fiestas Patrias

Although national holidays are a time to enjoy with the family and commemorate a new national event, even more so this year with an “XL” holiday, for the Transfusion Medicine Unit (UMT) of the San Fernando Hospital it is a cause for concern due to the number of holidays, which in itself can increase the transfusion process as well as the decrease in donations. To avoid this, a strategic campaign has been arranged to have sufficient stock for those days.

This was stated by Sebastián Labraña, chief medical technologist at the UMT, who said that “during these Fiestas Patrias, I want to make a special call to our community, since during this period of celebration it is crucial to remember the responsibility to the patients who depend on us. Even more so this year, due to the length of the festivities, there is a real risk of shortage of blood components, which makes your contribution more important than ever; therefore, we invite you to donate blood.”

In this regard, the professional said that “from September 2 to 17, we will be devoting our efforts to collecting the largest possible amount of donations. We have been on local radio stations, collecting donations such as the one held on September 3 at the Chimbarongo Hospital, we have coordinated a visit to a high school to encourage donations among students, we will work on Saturday, September 7 (so that they can schedule an appointment that day), and we will have extended hours on Tuesday, September 10 and Thursday, September 12 of this month until 4:00 p.m., and on Monday, September 16 and Tuesday, September 17 (until noon) promoting donations. We count on you to help save lives. We are waiting for you.”

To schedule an appointment, you can visit the website www.donasangresanfernando.cl, or you can call 722335129, write to WhatsApp +56923781466, or write on social networks Dona Sangre San Fernando on Facebook or Instagram, or an email to umtsanfernando@gmail.com.

Finally, the head of UMT said: “I want to thank all those who have supported us on this occasion, Sembrasol for donating snacks to our altruistic donors; the Chimbarongo hospital for always opening its doors to welcome us; the Citizen Participation and Communications units for their support in this campaign; and especially our donors who we know will provide us with fundamental support in these days.”