The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is facing a shortage of national blood stocks and is urging eligible citizens to donate.
The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is calling on eligible South Africans to donate blood amid declining national blood stocks.
SANBS aims to maintain a five-day blood supply to ensure hospitals have access to blood when patients need it. To meet daily demand, SANBS needs to collect 3,500 units of blood each day. However, current collections are falling short of this target, placing continued pressure on the national blood supply.
Several factors are contributing to lower collections, including fewer blood drives at schools and universities during the examination period and competing demands on donors’ time. However, addressing the current need requires more than regular donors alone.
SANBS is calling on three groups to step forward: donors who are due to donate, people who have never donated before, and lapsed donors who are able to return to donating.
