Blood Bank running low on reserves

The blood reserves at the National Blood Transfusion Service appear to have depleted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Director of the National Blood Centre (NBC) Dr. Lakshman Edirisinghe, who also said that 950 to 1,000 units of blood are required daily.

The National Blood Centre invites donors to donate blood because getting the requisite amount on a daily basis is difficult. He said willing donors can call 011-5 332 153 or 011-5 332 154 to schedule an appointment at any blood transfusion institution in the island.

While urging the public to donate blood in accordance with health guidelines, he pointed out that the country’s blood scarcity was caused by the pandemic’s discontinuation of blood donation programmes. Dr. Edirisinghe stated that blood donors can go to major hospitals and blood centres throughout the country, and that the blood centre is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for such donors.

According to the National Blood Transfusion Service, the website may be utilised to make blood donation more convenient. Individuals who received their first or both doses of any sort of COVID-19 vaccine are discouraged from donating blood and can obtain the relevant information by phoning the above phone numbers.

Pregnant women, thalassemia patients, and cancer patients at the Maharagama Hope Hospital, the Colombo National Hospital’s Accident Unit, and the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital are all in desperate need of blood on a regular basis.

(Source: Ceylon Today – By Thameenah Razeek)