MUNICIPAL staff attached to the New Amsterdam Town Council were among donors who gave “a gift of life” during a voluntary blood-donation drive, which was included in the 123rd anniversary celebrations of the township.

An initiative of the town’s administrators, in collaboration with the Berbice Regional Health Authority (BRHA), the exercise sought to sensitise locals about the importance of donating blood.
Human Resources Manager Ms. Merlyn Henry noted that the council wanted to give a lasting gift which will save a life,that in turn could become an asset to the community.
Eleven units of O negative blood were mostly extracted from donors, she said.
Meanwhile, Berbice Blood Bank recruiter, Ms. Candy Archer, told this newspaper that persons are not cultured to blood donation, and as a result the BRHA is conducting a massive sensitising exercise across the Berbice region.Currently, focus is on the New Amsterdam Technical Institute and the New Amsterdam Multilateral school.
Ms Archer, though heartened by the response of the citizenry at the first blood donation drive, said they were a few deferrals, such as those who had a low haemalocrit [iron] level, and were on medication.
With respect to the low haemalocrit level, she noted that it fluctuates daily, and as such it does not mean that the donor is anaemic , however a donor may increase his or her haemalocrit level by eating foods rich in iron such as dark green vegetables, red meat, raisins or by taking multivitamins that contain iron.
In a plea, Archer said there is no substitute for human blood which is required for premature newborns; people with sickle cell disease and leukaemia; victims of automobile accidents; cancer; open- heart surgery patients and kidney transplant patients, among others.
She said too that most blood donations are processed and available for use within 72 hours. After collection, red cells can be stored for 35 days, plasma can be frozen and stored for 12 months, and platelets are usable for only five days. Also, blood given to babies cannot be more than five days old.
She said the short life span of platelets and the “five-day fresh” standing for blood used in babies creates a continual ongoing need for fresh blood.
The BRHA organiser added that the exercise seeks to attract 100% voluntary, unpaid donors, because the incidence of blood- transmitted disease is much less in blood drawn from volunteers.