17/06/2008
Vitoria-Gasteiz, 17th June 2008.-
People can give blood on Saturday at the portico of the Cathedral of
Santa María at a blood drive organised by the Álava Association of
Blood Donors with the collaboration of the Santa María Cathedral
Foundation. Anyone interested in taking part in this altruistic and
necessary initiative can give blood between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Although well into the 21st Century, this Saturday the Cathedral of
Santa María will recover the function that characterised these spaces
in the Middle Ages as centres that cared for the sick, by encouraging
visitors to the Cathedral as well as residents in the city’s medieval
quarter to take part in this caring initiative. Between 10 a.m. and 2
p.m., access to the portico will be through the Plaza Santa María.
The
Álava Association of Blood Donors will set up a medical check-up point
in the portico for everyone wishing to donate blood. Furthermore, there
will be four stretchers, a reception area and a refreshment area for
donors to have something to eat after blood has been taken. The actual
blood donation only lasts between 5 and 8 minutes, although the whole
process takes half an hour including the previous medical check-up and
recuperation/refreshment time afterwards.
To donate, you must be over 18 and under 66 and weigh at least 50 kg.
You must not have fasted. The only precaution you should take is not to
donate less than two hours after a copious meal. 450 cc of blood will
be taken, which has no consequences for your blood volume because it is
replenished immediately when you drink liquid.
With the arrival of summer, the need for blood reserves and donations
increases. To make sure hospitals have enough blood, 500 donations are
required a day in the Basque Country. It is worth remembering that
blood has an expiry date of five days in the case of platelets and 35
for blood units.
In Álava, there are currently around 22,000 registered
donors. During the first third of the year, 10,528 donations were made
in contrast with 8,637 in the same period of 2007, and 829 new donors
joined the scheme. More information:
www.donantesdesangre.com
Donor information: 900 303 404