The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent appeal for blood, saying it presently has only 15 units when it should have 150 units on hand.
In a statement yesterday, Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy said the ministry was requesting regular blood donors or anyone who wanted to be a donor to come forward to donate blood.
After issuing blood to the various hospitals, the ministry said it was left with only 15 units of blood. “Our regular stock at the National Blood Bank needs to maintain a stock of at least 150 units of blood,” the statement said adding that this is a “critical situation and an emergency.”
To accommodate persons who want to donate, it said that the National Blood Bank at the GPHC will be open on Sunday December 26th and Monday December 27th from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.
December is usually the slowest month for blood collection, the ministry noted. However, December is also a month of peak demand for blood. “It is in this context that I make this personal appeal. We need at least 150 donors during the two days to meet the expected demand for blood products in our hospitals during this festive week,” Ramsammy said.
Persons interested in making donations can visit the following facilities: National Blood Transfusion Service, GPHC Compound, Lamaha Street, Georgetown; New Amsterdam Regional Hospital (Telephone# 333-2271); West Demerara Regional Hospital (Telephone # 254-1256); Suddie Regional Hospital (Telephone # 774-4227); and Linden Hospital (telephone # 444-6127).
