NewsWhore
06-13-2012, 02:20 PM
According to a report in Listin Diario, the requirement for blood continues to be a nightmare for patients who need a transfusion and a real drama for families in the case of an emergency, when receiving blood can make the difference between life and death.
According to the blood bank at the Dominican Red Cross, which processes 50% of the country's blood requirements, every day around 100 people come looking for blood, 20 and 40 of whom arrive unaware of the fact that they need to find donors and often without enough money to pay for the necessary tests.
Although the main hospitals have small blood banks, when demand exceeds supply, people have to look for blood elsewhere, usually at the Dominican Red Cross.
The situation is worse for patients in private clinics and there are often headlines on the television and messages on the social networks from people desperately looking for blood and blood products.
According to official figures, only 14% of blood donations in the country are voluntary (many because they think they have too much blood); 86% are because they are donating for a family member or friend and around 1.19% for money, although it is probable that this percentage is higher, but it is not documented as many agreements are made outside of the blood banks.
Last year, the 58 public and private blood banks, registered by the Public Health Ministry, collected 99,148 units of blood. In order to supply the national demand, the country needs a minimum of three units for each 100,000 inhabitants, which is a minimum of 300,000 units per year. So last year there was a deficit of 201,852 units of blood, evidenced by the difficulties experienced when the blood was needed.
The worldwide statistics state that each country should have three to five units of blood per 100,000 inhabitants and this shows that the country would face major difficulties in the event of a disaster where large quantities of blood are needed.
According to Juan Merayo, deputy director of Reference Blood Bank, in order to supply the country's needs each blood bank needs an average of at least 20 donors a day, but the reality is that there are only between three and five a day of whom more than 80% are for specific cases. Socrates Sosa, director of the Blood Bank at the Ministry of Public Health recognizes that there is a serious problem and said that the country needs more voluntary donations. He also said that the Ministry is working on a project to create more transfusion centers across the whole country.
The article points out that there are cultural obstacles that need to overcome, including the myth that donating blood will cause anemia, or that it will leave the donor without sufficient blood, that it is a painful process, and some people are afraid of needles.
In order to donate blood a person should be in good health, aged between 18 and 65, weigh more than 110 pounds, have normal blood pressure, pulse between 50 and 110 a minute and men should have hemoglobin above 13.5 gr/dl and women 12.5 gr/dl. Men can donate a maximum of four times a year and women three times with a minimum of two months between donations.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#9)
According to the blood bank at the Dominican Red Cross, which processes 50% of the country's blood requirements, every day around 100 people come looking for blood, 20 and 40 of whom arrive unaware of the fact that they need to find donors and often without enough money to pay for the necessary tests.
Although the main hospitals have small blood banks, when demand exceeds supply, people have to look for blood elsewhere, usually at the Dominican Red Cross.
The situation is worse for patients in private clinics and there are often headlines on the television and messages on the social networks from people desperately looking for blood and blood products.
According to official figures, only 14% of blood donations in the country are voluntary (many because they think they have too much blood); 86% are because they are donating for a family member or friend and around 1.19% for money, although it is probable that this percentage is higher, but it is not documented as many agreements are made outside of the blood banks.
Last year, the 58 public and private blood banks, registered by the Public Health Ministry, collected 99,148 units of blood. In order to supply the national demand, the country needs a minimum of three units for each 100,000 inhabitants, which is a minimum of 300,000 units per year. So last year there was a deficit of 201,852 units of blood, evidenced by the difficulties experienced when the blood was needed.
The worldwide statistics state that each country should have three to five units of blood per 100,000 inhabitants and this shows that the country would face major difficulties in the event of a disaster where large quantities of blood are needed.
According to Juan Merayo, deputy director of Reference Blood Bank, in order to supply the country's needs each blood bank needs an average of at least 20 donors a day, but the reality is that there are only between three and five a day of whom more than 80% are for specific cases. Socrates Sosa, director of the Blood Bank at the Ministry of Public Health recognizes that there is a serious problem and said that the country needs more voluntary donations. He also said that the Ministry is working on a project to create more transfusion centers across the whole country.
The article points out that there are cultural obstacles that need to overcome, including the myth that donating blood will cause anemia, or that it will leave the donor without sufficient blood, that it is a painful process, and some people are afraid of needles.
In order to donate blood a person should be in good health, aged between 18 and 65, weigh more than 110 pounds, have normal blood pressure, pulse between 50 and 110 a minute and men should have hemoglobin above 13.5 gr/dl and women 12.5 gr/dl. Men can donate a maximum of four times a year and women three times with a minimum of two months between donations.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#9)