VI Blood Donation Marathon Encourages Murcians to Donate for the Summer Holidays

He VI Blood Donation Marathonorganized by the Regional Hemodonation Center, is held on Tuesday to encourage the participation of donors in view of the bridge next weekend and the summer holidays. The center encourages Murcians to donate blood during that day to cover the needs of this in the hospitals of the Community.

For this purpose, The plenary hall of the Murcia City Council will open its doors on Tuesday, June 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. to receive the solidarity and generosity of the population. This act will contribute to ensuring the supply of blood components in hospitals during the long weekend on June 9 and will be the preamble to the celebration, on June 14, of World Blood Donor Day.

The director of the Regional Hemodonation Center, Dr. María Luisa Lozano, stressed that on June 6 “solidarity will be celebrated” in a day in which citizens “can share life and happiness”, by giving up a few minutes of their time to carrying out this activity can help improve the lives of many people.

The regularity of donations “is vital because blood is a living tissue that cannot be preserved indefinitely“, since “its components are stored for a certain time and have an expiration date.” The maximum time for the use of platelets is five days.

The director of the Regional Hemodonation Center indicated that “this type of action is essential to stimulate the incorporation of new donors, whatever their condition, although it is particularly relevant in the case of young people once they reach their majority.”

Donations make it possible for SMS professionals to attend to between 250 and 300 patients who require a transplant, who require surgery or suffer from oncological pathologies, among others, every day in the different health centers of the Region.

Dr. Lozano affirmed that “theDonation is a simple, voluntary and painless act that contributes to saving lives“, so he invited all citizens and, especially those who have never done so, to donate blood.

After a blood donation, three different products can be obtained: red blood cells, platelets and plasma, which can help a similar number of patients. All blood groups are equally important, and it is essential to maintain a diversity in the components.

Some types of blood are rare to find in our environment, and it is easier in donors from different geographical origins. In the first five months of 2023, a total of 20,698 blood donations have been obtained, of which 3,110 correspond to new donors.

Adults over 50 kilos

The requirements to be able to donate are to be between 18 and 65 years old and weighing 50 kilograms or more, not suffering from anemia and being in good health. However, each donor undergoes a simple and quick medical examination before carrying out the blood donation.

The permanent donation points are the Regional Blood Donation Center, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; the Rosell Hospital in Cartagena, Monday and Wednesday from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; the Hospital Virgen del Castillo de Yecla, the last Thursday of each month; and the Santa Rosa de Lima de Lorca Specialty Center, on the first and third Thursday of each month.