The British Hospital promotes voluntary blood donation with donor clubs

On the occasion of the celebration of the Volunteer Donor Day, the British Hospital developed a series of communicative and informative actions, in order to raise awareness about the importance of donating blood. Under the motto "What can you do? Donate blood. Donate now. Donate often ",since the past 12th of November the British Hospital carried out an initiative to raise awareness about the importance of voluntary blood donation, led by the Institution´s Transfusion Medicine Department. "Today for me. Tomorrow for you "was the recurrent message to call members and users to participate in the donor clubs of the Institution, under the premise of solidarity. By donating blood once a year, the donor and their relatives make sure they receive blood timely and do not have to go out and quiclky get donors in case they need it. And this also maintains a sufficient, fluid and permanent stock that covers the hospital demand. "Blood and its components cannot be obtained through pharmaceutical manufacture. Sometimes accidents or large-scale interventions ocurr, such as those we do in the British Hospital, which need many donors, "explained Dr. Lourdes Viano, referent of the Transfusion Medicine Department of the Institution. "Other people come monthly to our Institution to get a transfusion replacement. Those people depend on a blood donor who comes to give a part of himself. That´s the importance of donation, "she specified. She recalled the pioneering role of the British Hospital in this area, she said that "we herald and promote voluntary donation" and stressed the importance of educating in donation need. She pointed out that the first donor clubs emerged as an initiative of people sensitized by this preaching. The first donor club was created in 1998 by the hospital's own employees. In 2005, the British Hospital members` community also created its donors´ club. "We were multiplying the training in blood donation, in the need for blood donation and responsibility. With this it is posible that donors start approaching to voluntary donation, coming without having a specific need, knowing what donation involves and doing it in the moment when they are in optimal conditions because they are educated in the subject ", explained Viano. Every day dozens of patients save their lives or recover their health thanks to the transfusions of blood products. The only way to obtain them is the voluntary donation of healthy community. The British Hospital has always been at the forefront regarding Transfusion Medicine in Uruguay. The first blood transfusions of the country were carried out by Dr. Julio César Estol in the British Hospital and in the Pereira Rossell Hospital since 1915. In this context, the British Hospital was also a pioneer in the integration of cell separation techniques, which allowed doing the first bone marrow transplant in Latin America, in 1984.

For further information about our Voluntary Blood Donors`Club we invite you to share an interview with Dr. Lourdes Viano in our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch