The South African National Blood Services said that blood stocks were healthy for the upcoming Easter weekend.
In a statement on Friday, SANBS said that South Africans responded well to its #NewBlood plea, with a total of 5 473 units of blood collected on Human Rights Day, far outstripping the 4 500 units targeted.
“Thank you for the #NewBlood, South Africa. Thank you for lending us your hand. Thanks to you we have started turning things around,” said Silungile Mlambo, Chief Marketing Officer for the SANBS.
“We are completely overwhelmed by the turnout. The #NewBlood we collected will help us ensure that no lives are placed at risk this Easter. There will be enough blood for babies born prematurely over the Easter holidays. There will be enough blood for accident victims. The person battling cancer will not have to wait for blood. And it is all thanks to South Africans, who showed by their actions that they want to be the agents of change that President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged us to be,” she says.
Mlambo urged those who had turned out this week, as well as other South Africans, to continue to donate blood regularly.
“Currently less than 1% of South Africans – about 400 000 – donate blood even though it demands little more than giving up 30 minutes about four times a year. We hope that everyone who donated yesterday and all other eligible donors will donate regularly and help us save lives,” she said.
