Only two hundred daily donations are being received on average, a figure that is well below the need for transfusions of patients in the Metropolitan Region, which is four hundred donations a day in order to have an adequate stock of blood components in blood establishments. health, which allows an optimal and timely response to the transfusion needs of seriously ill patients, continuity in the performance of surgeries, treatment of cancer patients, as well as the operation of emergencies -both for adults and children- in the hospitals of the MRI.
One in seven people admitted to a hospital require a blood transfusion, according to data provided by the Hospital of La Serenaand transfusions depend exclusively on the generosity of the population, which makes it possible to supply healthcare facilities and guarantee the performance of transplants, operations, treatments, deliveries, among many other vital health care services.
“Every time a person donates, they deliver only 450 milliliters of their blood and can save up to 3 lives,” the public venue reported on its page. The blood donation process lasts only 40 minutes and red blood cells, plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate are extracted, which are transferred to the people who require it according to their needs.
Every hour, at least twenty patients need to be transfused, either for treatment or emergencies, and to process and obtain the blood components and carry out all the studies on the blood donations, a “processing time” of several hours is required.
The reasons for the drop
Since March 2020, and due to the start of the most important pandemic in recent decades in Chile, the movement restrictions caused by covid-19 have produced a considerable drop in donors. In addition, ad portas to end the summer season, many people leave the region to enjoy their vacations. Another factor that has led to this situation is the mitigation work that exists in the surroundings of the Blood Donor House in the Providencia district, since this has significantly hindered access to donors in the “House del Donante”, where both the visibility and the time to travel to this place have been affected, generating inconvenience and delays in the arrival of our users.
The Metropolitan Blood Center (CMS), is a public institution, born in 2009, and its objective is to supply blood components to the entire network of public hospitals in the Metropolitan Region, such as San Luis de Buin, Padre Hurtado, La Florida , Sótero del Río, among other public facilities and institutes such as the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Geriatrics, Neurosurgery Institute, Hanga Roa Hospital, Dr. Lucio Córdova Hospital and Josefina Martínez Hospital.
“We call for solidarity in people, given that there are patients in whom their transfusions have had to be postponed and even many elective surgeries have not been carried out due to lack of blood donations, and for this reason, today we are with alert in all blood groups “said Dr. Loreto Vergara, director of the Metropolitan Blood Center.
What are the requirements to be a donor?
– Be between 17 and 60 years old.
– Present yourself with your identity card.
– Have slept at least 5 hours.
– Weigh at least 50 kilos.
– Having eaten some food in the last 6 hours.
On the other hand, in times of pandemic YOU SHOULD NOT DONATE, IF…
– You have been in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.
– Has presented respiratory symptoms or others associated with Coronavirus.
– Not having donated blood for less than three months, if you are a man, and four, if you are a woman.
People who want to get closer to donate to the Donor Housethey must schedule a time in advance and do it between Monday and Friday from 08:00 to 17:00 and Saturdays from 09:00 to 17:00.
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