The woman giving birth. The cancer patient. The man undergoing open-heart surgery.
All of these people – and those who love them – rely on one thing: blood donations. Their lives, their futures, are at stake. But South Africa’s blood stock is currently desperately low, and all of them are at risk.
“Our national blood supply is currently at just 2.4 days’ Group O stock, amounting to just over 2113 units of O blood available around the country, whilst in KZN the blood supply is on 1.5 days’ Group O” says Sifiso Khoza, regional marketing manager for the South African National Blood Service (SANBS).
“The situation, simply, is critical. We need South Africans – active donors, lapsed donors and potential donors – to come forward right now to bolster the national blood stock.”
“So many people in life-threatening situations require blood. It is what saves that haemorrhaging mother’s life, so that she can raise and love the baby she has just brought into the world. It is what saves someone suffering complications during major surgery. It is what helps that cancer patient endure and survive treatment.
“And that’s the point: it’s not just blood. It’s saving people’s lives, through a simple, easy donation,” says Khoza.
The SANBS is therefore making an earnest appeal for South Africans to step forward and donate blood. Today.
“More than that, however, the SANBS appeals to South Africans to become regular donors. By donating blood only four times a year, we can easily avoid situations such as the one in which we find ourselves,” says Khoza.
The SANBS is, furthermore, appealing to the public to make venues available for blood drives. Suitable venues include spaces accessible and open to the public.
How to find the nearest donor centre?
Phone 0800 11 9031 | www.sanbs.org.za | Facebook.com/SANBS | Twitter @theSANBS
About the SANBS
SANBS is a non-profit organisation, which provides an essential service within South Africa. It is rated amongst the best in the world in the provision of blood and blood products, as well as in relation to the research and training provided. SANBS operates across all of South Africa, with the exclusion of the Western Cape.