The National Blood Transfusion Centre says donating blood is challenging, but it has attracted many South Sudanese blood donors this year.
Manager Narik Peter Wal made the disclosure to CRN during this year’s celebration of World Blood Donor day.
She adds that the centre used to receive only foreign blood donors, but this year, several South Sudanese are turning up to donate blood.
The health professional urges everybody to give blood to save people’s life.
She said, the theme for this year’s celebration which is ‘Be there for someone else. Give Blood. Share life’ is timely.
‘Collecting blood from our local people is challenging. Thousands of foreign nationals are the most people donating blood. At least this year that has improved. We see several South Sudanese now coming in to donate’, she adds.
Meanwhile, a student midwife from Juba College of Nursing, Jokudu Easter donated blood during the Blood Donor Day event.
She says it is important to give blood to save people’s lives. Easter encourages South Sudanese to do the same to help the needy.
‘Donating blood is very important. It’s another way of saving someone’s life. You will never know the importance of doing it until you’re faced with a problem. As a student, I do my practice from Juba Teaching Hospital and what really challenged me was a woman who had an emergency condition that needed to be taken to the theatre. But she could not be taken because her blood was low and had no relative to donate for her. I was really challenged. That’s how I got the heart to donate. If I can’t do something with my hands, then my blood can save someone’s life’She explains.
Another donor, Alier David admits that he was afraid of donating blood in the past, but now, that has changed.
‘Sincerely, before I started donating, I just felt that it was something very big, it would lower my health but now I have donated three times and I am still very energetic. So I encourage everyone, especially the citizens of this country to come and join people who are donating. With such a spirit, we will solve the health problem in our country’, Hae stresses.
Countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day every year on 14 June, to raise awareness and to appreciate voluntary blood donors.
Most people can donate blood, especially those who are at least fifty kilograms above and if the Hemoglobin ranges from 12.
Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body’s tissues and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues back to the lungs.
Men can give blood after every three months and for women, after every four months.
Any person with health condition or receiving medical treatment is not allowed to donate blood.
Pregnant and lactating mothers or those in menstruation are not also allowed to donate blood and many others.
Once donation is done, each donor’s blood samples are sent to be tested before it is safe to transfuse to patients.