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Donate a pint of blood: You could save three lives

Published:Wednesday | November 11, 2020 | 12:19 AMChristopher Serju/Senior Gleaner Writer
Blood donor Peter Harriott is a picture of concentration as registered nurse Sakaile Woodstock searches for a vein in which to inject him in preparation to drawing a pint of blood. Harriott was one of the early donors at last Friday’s blood drive hosted
Photo by Christopher Serju
Blood donor Peter Harriott is a picture of concentration as registered nurse Sakaile Woodstock searches for a vein in which to inject him in preparation to drawing a pint of blood. Harriott was one of the early donors at last Friday’s blood drive hosted by Massey United Insurance in partnership with the National Blood Transfusion Service in the PANJAM Courtyard, New Kingston.

One unit of blood can make the life-saving difference for as many as three persons, acting director of the National Blood Transfusion Service, Dr Alisha Tucker, has said.

Tucker was speaking last Friday during a drive to ramp up supplies.

COVID-19 and dengue have combined to put extra demand on the dwindling supplies at the National Blood Transfusion Service, which is always in a struggle to meet the regular demand by expectant mothers, leukaemia and cancer patients, as well as road traffic and gunshot victims.

“We need donors to come out daily in order to supply the needs of patients throughout Jamaica,” Tucker candidly admitted to The Gleaner. “Every donor who donates a pint of blood, this can then be divided into packed red blood cells and it can also make fresh frozen plasma and platelets. So the blood is one component and then the other components can be given to two other persons,” she explained.

“So everyone that donates is a hero, everyone that donates is able to save three lives, and so at this time, we really appeal to people to come out and make a difference.”

A lot of persons have been afraid to donate because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the restrictions on social gatherings have also hampered persons from being energised to support mobile blood drives. However, the acting director is assuring Jamaicans who are able to pre-register that their social distancing and sanitation protocols are strictly maintained, even at their mobile drives.

CRITICAL SHORTAGE

“We would be so grateful for 20 units today. I would not be able to give you an amount, but we are at a critically low level,” she shared, when asked about the blood balance at the service.

Meanwhile, in declaring that there is a critical shortage of blood, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn urged Jamaicans to donate on an ongoing basis.

“We don’t want to just have donations only when there is a crisis happening because patients are always needing blood, and so I am going to urge Jamaicans to donate more often, at least once every three months. I urge every Jamaican to make this a part of their lives, to donate this life-saving blood to their fellow Jamaicans.”

The private sector entity which sponsored the day’s event was driven to do so, based on its recognition of the critical blood shortage and the dire implications for patient care across the island. So it was that they in fact reached out to the National Blood Transfusion Service, according to Branch Manager for Massey United, Jamaica and Cayman, Winsome Gibbs.

“There is a desperate need in the country for blood, especially with the COVID and all the other issues that we are having. So we recognise and felt that it would be important as a good corporate citizen that we do something about it, our little bit. So we reached out to the Blood Bank and agreed to partner with them and host the blood drive here today in our location, since our office is in the PanJam Building.”