Former University of Guyana Students Society (UGSS) President Joshua Griffith on Monday hosted an Olympic themed, “Give for the Gold”, blood drive at the National Blood Bank, in observance of his 25th birthday.
According to a press release, this was Griffith’s fourth annual blood drive which is aimed at bringing awareness to the importance of blood donation and to encourage first time participants to become regular donors. Thirty units of blood were collected as the donors were rewarded with medals.
“We really hope other persons and organisations can push for a lot more blood drives and support the blood bank because you never know who might need blood and whose life you are impacting,” Griffith emphasized.
Acting Director of the National Blood Bank, Dr. Pedro Lewis thanked the donors and Griffith for their contributions, and expressed the wish that more persons would execute similar drives, the release added.
Currently, Guyana needs between 10,000-12,000 units of blood annually for the successful completion of a significant amount of the approximately fifteen thousand (15,000) surgeries being done on a yearly basis.
About 2,000 pregnant mothers require blood each year during caesarean operations, it was noted. In 2015, the Ministry of Public Health recorded a total of 9,698 units of blood voluntarily donated to the National Blood Bank and the Blood Banks in Regions 2, 3, 6 & 10.
Blood donors must be 17 years or older, weigh at least 110 pounds, be healthy (free of blood-borne disease) and be willing to donate blood. By donating one pint of blood, a person can save as many as 3-4 lives, since blood can be separated into plasma, platelets, cryoprecipitate and concentrated red blood cells.
