Blood Centre Seeks 0, A and B Rhesus Negative Donors

The North Estonia Medical Centre’s Blood Centre is in dire need of the help of 0, A and B rhesus negative blood donors. Currently, there are several hospital patients who are in serious conditions and require transfusions of blood components prepared from the aforementioned blood types. The Blood Centre welcomes both regular donors and people who have never given blood before or who made their last donations years ago.

Recently, hospitals’ demand for blood products prepared from 0, A and B rhesus negative blood has increased considerably, and the Blood Centre has sent out active calls for respective donors. Unfortunately, we still lack blood prior to the long holiday period. People with 0 rhesus negative blood type form only 4.3% of the Estonian population. This is a universal donor blood group, whose red cells can be transferred to all people with other blood groups and used in situations where there is no time to determine the patient’s blood group.

“Thus, the call for 0 rhesus negative donors to give blood is constantly open. We are currently treating several patients with 0 rhesus negative blood group, to whom we can transfer only 0 rhesus negative blood products. Additionally, there is a high demand for A and B rhesus negative blood. Consequently, we need additional help from donors,” explains Dr Riin Kullaste, Director of the Blood Centre.

The Blood Centre on Ädala Street and DoonoriFoorum at Narva mnt 5 are open today and tomorrow from 11:00-19:00 and we have extended our opening hours on Friday: The Blood Centre is open from 8:00-18:00 and DoonoriFoorum from 11:00-18:00. The Blood Centre and DoonoriFoorum are also open on Saturday, 22 December from 10:00-15:00. People who cannot donate blood during business days are now welcome to do it on the rest day before the holidays. “Those who are not able to donate blood before holidays are welcome to do so on 27 and 28 December as well as next year, starting from 2 January,” stresses Dr Kullaste.

Donors must be healthy, rested people of 18-60 years of age, who have eaten and weigh at least 50 kg. The Blood Centre encourages donors to give blood regularly, three or four times a year. The minimum interval between donations must be at least 60 days. Women are advised to wait 90 days.

For more information, visit the Blood Centre’s website at www.verekeskus.ee and Facebook page Doonorid ja Sõbrad.

The Blood Centre and DoonoriFoorum are closed on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 January.