To encourage Monegasques to donate blood, the Prince’s Palace is using its volunteer staff for a day of collection

Donate blood. The gesture is intended to be quick, barely 30 minutes including the medical questionnaire and the snack, and can literally save a human life. “Blood is essential to treat patients undergoing chemotherapy because of cancer, those whose bone marrow no longer works and those who have hemorrhaged after a road accident or childbirth.sums up Dr Mélanie Rinaudo, head of the Blood Transfusion Center (CTS) at the CHPG.

Despite this prospect of a good deed, the Principality is struggling to be self-sufficient in blood bags, with a more marked shortage for the “O-” blood type. A rare commodity yet essential in the context of vital emergencies among young people.

Thus, to make up for this glaring lack, the Monegasque health authorities obtain their supplies from the French Blood Establishment with which an agreement has been signed.

Twenty volunteers

Faced with this relentless observation, Prince Albert II wanted to set the Prince’s Palace as an example by organizing a blood donation drive within its walls this Wednesday. Between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., two nurses from the Blood Transfusion Center took 400 to 480 ml of blood from around twenty volunteers, whether they were the Prince’s carabinieri or employees within the princely residence.

A figure to be revised upwards if we include regular donors and those who, the previous days, were “stung” directly at the CHPG, for lack of availability that day. The Monegasque sovereign, who was to be there, finally canceled his visit after testing positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday.

“The idea is to send a strong message to the population to donate blood but also to encourage similar initiatives with other institutions and companies in the Principality, confides Isabelle Costa, adviser to the cabinet of Prince Albert II, in particular in charge of health issues. That they can arrange slots in working time. People are volunteers but material conditions sometimes prevent them from donating blood.”

In short, to facilitate blood donation in Monaco, like the “Bloodmobile” concept set up in 2021. The pink vehicle, flocked with stickers, crisscrosses the territory to take blood donors to the Blood Transfusion Center and return them to their place of residence or work. “About 200 people have benefited from it in the first six months of 2022″, chiffre le Dr Mélanie Rinaudo.

“I must be one of the first to have to give”

For some, this Wednesday was a great first. “The opportunity presented itself, I seized it. In the workplace, it really makes things easier because the procedures are quick, there is no queue and you are supervised and put in trust by people you know, entrusts an employee, yet hesitant at the idea of ​​repeating a bad experience of injections. I didn’t feel anything. The staff were caring and, in the middle of the sample, congratulated me on saving a life. It is surprising but pleasant. Before that I was uncomfortable and sad not to do this move because my blood type is good (O). I have to be one of the first to have to give.”

Perhaps the beginning of a long series for this employee of the Prince’s Palace? And Dr. Mélanie Rinaudo to conclude: “We primarily target people who are not thinking of donating blood. The idea is to get them to do it for the first time and to retain them.”