Blood donation bottlenecks in the summertime

Blood donation marathon should help

08/12/2013

Especially in the summer holiday season there are bottlenecks in the supply of blood in hospitals every year. The number of blood donations decreases significantly. In the summer, the annual low comes. Consumption in operations and therapies, however, does not adapt and remains high.

Holiday slows donations
Once a year volunteers gather in a discotheque in the small manageable settlement Firmenich (city of Mechnerich) to attend a blood donation marathon in the local nightclub „Sound Factory“ and the recreational facility „ziggurat“ to counteract scarcity. Already in 2006, the German Red Cross (DRK) in the district of Euskirchen called this blood donation marathon to life, to counteract this malady. Last year, around 700 people responded to the call. Among them were even 154 first-time donors.

The DRK district manager Rolf Klöcker explains:“ If you realize that 80 percent of the population needs a blood bank once in their lifetime, but only four percent regularly go for blood donation, you can see how far supply and demand are different. It is all the more gratifying to see the many volunteers today.“ A total of 80 helpers from the ranks of the Rotkreuz district association, 30 employees of the blood transfusion service West and seven doctors were in action. These mainly took care of the numerous donors during and after the blood test. Many of them have been for several decades for the so-called bloodletting. One of them is Hubert Breuer. „Blood donation means saving lives. Especially today, when you find it harder and harder to find volunteers, I think that is especially important.“ he replies.

The first-time donor Vanessa Wilden also found her way to the ziggurat. For her it is clear „Everyone can once be able to rely on blood transfusions. That's why we should all help that the donations never go out.“ As an incentive to participate, donors can win prizes in a raffle. Overall, those in charge of the 8th Blood Donation Marathon were pleased with the active participation and dedication of the volunteers and hope for a similar success for the year. (Fr)

Image: Herbert Käfer