A CRITICAL blood shortage has led to a plea for donors to bump up supplies – with 1,200 people needed every day to meet the needs of patients.
THE life that you help save with your blood donation could be that of a friend or family member, so “don’t wait, book now”.
That’s the message from Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, which has sent out an immediate call for donors as their reserves of most blood types drop to critical levels.
Without a significant boost in people donating, Lifeblood says its supplies will soon be at their lowest level this year.
The demand for blood is extremely high and the current level of donations is struggling to keep up with this high demand.
Blood and plasma are required to treat a number of life-threatening conditions and their use continues to grow each year. This is driving the very high demand for both blood and plasma and there are no signs of this changing.
Lifeblood Executive Director of Donor Experience, Cath Stone has urged both new donors and those who haven’t donated for some time to donate now.
She said just one donation could save up to three lives.
“Right now, we need both blood and plasma donors; we have empty chairs across our network every single day,” she said.
“Almost 4,000 bags of blood are needed by hospitals every day across Australia to help patients in times of trauma, major surgery, cancer treatment, pregnancy and for a range of other medical conditions,” Ms Stone said.
“Fewer than 3 per cent of the population donate blood regularly, yet more than 58 per cent are eligible to donate. That means there are about 10 million more people who could donate today, but don’t,” she said.
Ms Stone also encouraged people not to rule themselves out, as many potential donors incorrectly believed they were ineligible.
To book a donation, visit lifeblood.com.au or call 13 14 95.
Do your bloody bit
