– Coordinator calls for group donors to come on board
The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) is continuing its thrust to recruit voluntary blood donors and is reiterating its call for voluntary donors, in particular group donors, to come on board.
NBTS Coordinator, Ms. Shameeza Mangal, told the Guyana Chronicle that group drives are important if the bank is to meet its 10,000 units target by the end of the year.
“We have to collect over 800 units if we are going to meet demands, as well as our targets,” she said.
Guyana needs between four and eight per cent of the adult population to come on board with the Good Samaritan Programme and become voluntary donors.
Currently, about 1.5 per cent of the population are donors, but Guyana’s Good Samaritan Programme, the flagship blood donor recruitment programme, has been making progress.
It is designed to encourage all adult Guyanese to become blood donors and allows each Guyanese to contribute to saving lives. Through this programme, the Health Ministry aims to have more that 7,000 Guyanese becoming regular blood donors.
If this target is met and donors give blood twice a year, Guyana can be assured of 12,000 units of blood annually.
Mangal stated that for January, a total of 615 units were collected from the five blood banks, with over 500 from NBTS and the collection for February is encouraging.
Last weekend Marian Academy brought in 134 units gleaned from its annual blood drive.
Voluntary givers are welcomed at all five sites nationwide: the NBTS headquarters in Georgetown, and at the West Demerara Regional, New Amsterdam, Suddie and Linden hospitals.
Persons requiring further information can call 227-0418.