The Blood and Tissue Bank of Aragon appeals to the population between 18 and 65 years of age who weigh more than 50 kilos and is in good health to donate to cover the demand for blood in December, a month in which traditionally high levels of blood are registered. necessity by combining rest bridges and thousands of trips, which will translate into an increase in the supply to hospitals. Carmen Garcés, managing director of the Bank, urges us to do it at the Obispo Polanco Hospital on Monday through Thursday mornings. In the capital of Teruel there will be extraordinary donations on December 23 and 28, while on the 21st the mobile unit will be in Sarrión.
-Why this extraordinary appeal to donate?
-December is a month with more holidays and therefore fewer collection days, while the donation activity has to be constant because the red blood cells have a useful life of 42 days and the platelets of five, although with a process that they are applied until seven. You have to go back, especially the reserves that are lower and more necessary, such as 0- and 0+. We are noticing the bridge from last week and in December there are always more accidents and more blood needs. It is common on these dates.
-Where can the people of Teruel be altruistic?
-In Teruel capital you can donate in the mornings at the hospital, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition, for this month we have scheduled two extraordinary collections in outpatient clinics of the hospital on December 23 and 28 from 5 to 9 pm; We will be in Sarrión on the 21st from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm; and in Zaragoza we are from Monday to Saturday at Ramón Salanova 1, next to Delicias Park, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays until 2 p.m.
-Can it also be done in Alcañiz?
-We are going to Alcañiz with the mobile unit. Men can donate four times a year and women three, so we go on the dates when donors can make the donation.
-Who can donate?
-All people between 18 and 65 years of age who weigh more than 50 kilos and are in good health. It can be donated every two months, limited to three times a year for women and four times a year for men. Blood is essential for saving lives and for the daily functioning of the hospital system and we need to make this altruistic gesture a daily habit, especially during these days.
-It emphasizes that the habit is routine.
-Blood lasts as long as it lasts and donations have to be constant. It does not help us to have very high reserves in June and very low in December. A traffic accident or a liver transplant that consumes several units of blood from 0-, the universal donor, causes the Bank to suffer. At this time we are not in a sign of alarm, but we do not have to wait and we have to try to go back to have reservations for these days.
-At Christmas time, what better than to give life.
-That’s it. It is also very satisfying. It takes a very short time and does not hurt. Sometimes you can help up to three patients in a little while, because blood is divided into three components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma.
-What uses are they given?
-Platelets and red blood cells are destined for transfusions, mainly for hematological patients. And plasma is also used to make drugs. There are specifically plasma donors, although it is done in person in Zaragoza. With the Covid, people who have been cured and have produced antibodies have come to contribute their plasma to the treatment of those admitted. We participate in a European program.
-How many donations do you receive in a year?
-Last year we closed with 42,000 donations. There are Autonomous Communities that beat us in proportion, so they should be increased. But more than reaching a number, our goal is to be self-sufficient, that with the blood of Aragonese donors we are able to meet the needs of the hospitals of Aragon. There is a lack of generational replacement, we need young people, although it must be said that young people have behaved well during the pandemic.
-What measures can be taken to improve the data?
-Information and awareness, that people think how important it is because we all need blood at a certain time. On these dates, what better way than to give a selfless gift that can save a person’s life. There are drugs that can only be produced from human plasma. They are diseases that require weekly treatment for life, and if people have information they are very generous. Whenever we make a call, like now, people answer. This week we have increased the forecast by 20% in the towns we have attended. It is also interesting that replacement is done in operations in which more blood is needed. Another thing we have to push is for people to go back to hospitals, because they are safe, and donate there.
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