We don’t have enough blood donations. The Red Cross, among others, is now warning of this. These are urgently needed, not only for accident victims. Why donations are so important – and how you can become a donor yourself.
The number of blood donations is currently drastically below the required amount. “The emergency care can just about be maintained,” said the spokesman for the blood donation service of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK), Patric Nohe in Munich. What is tapped from people is immediately used again: “The reserves are close to zero,” reported Nohe. At some dates, the amount of donations is 20 to 30 percent below what is actually necessary. “We are looking forward to the coming weeks and months with great concern,” explained Bauer, referring to the upcoming summer holidays, when experience has shown that even fewer people will appear.
And the situation is not only tense in Bavaria, but also nationwide. The German Society for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohaematology pointed out that too few people are currently donating blood due to holidays, vacations and the elimination of corona-related restrictions on travel and leisure activities. “The resulting shortage of blood products is particularly critical right now, as many operations that were previously postponed due to the pandemic are being made up in the clinics,” explains Chairman Hubert Schrezenmeier.
“In Germany, 15,000 blood donations are needed every day to ensure medical care. But since only three percent of the population regularly donates blood, there can always be a gap between need and availability,” said the private blood donation service Haema AG.
Statistically, according to Haema, every second German is dependent on a blood donation or on medicines made from blood at least once in their life. So it’s not just accident victims who are affected. They are also indispensable for certain diseases, such as cancer patients or people with certain immune diseases, as the German Red Cross explains.
In addition to being given directly to the patient via transfusion, blood components and blood plasma are also required for the production of medicines and processed accordingly.
Appointments to donate blood are organized locally. For example, you can register for certain postcodes on the German Red Cross website. You will then receive a notification when another blood drive takes place there.
Some of the services require advance notification, but you can sometimes appear spontaneously.
Generally, people over the age of 18 and weighing over 50 kilograms can donate blood. Donations are then possible up to the age of 68. However, there are certain pre-existing conditions where blood donations are excluded. These include, among other things:
Drug use or misuse of medication also excludes blood donation.
If you are unsure whether you are a suitable donor, you can check this in advance on the German Red Cross website. You should also feel fit before donating. To be on the safe side, however, all samples are also examined in the laboratory.
In addition, the doctors check your hemoglobin level before the donation. This indicates whether your body is able to replace the lost blood.
The Federal Center for Health Education lists the following framework conditions for blood donations.
With some blood donation services you will receive an expense allowance for your donation – for example in the form of money or a small gift.
Among other things, the Bavarian state government is now urgently calling for donations. The blood donation service wants to reach more young people in particular, since the group of people who donate particularly frequently is gradually reaching the age limit of 65. Many younger people donated during the corona pandemic.
However, many dates are already fully booked. But: “Then just take the next appointment, even if it’s only four or six weeks from now,” Nohe asked. You need continuity because blood can only be kept for 42 days. “It would be enough if people donated twice a year.”
