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A mobile blood drive is coming to the Waiuku Cosmopolitan Club today, February 2.
New Zealand is always in need of donor blood. Currently, less than 4 per cent of the country’s population donates blood and plasma, amounting to 130,000 people.
A plasma drive will also be held in Pukekohe at the Franklin Baptist Church from February 2 to 5.
New Zealand Blood Service’s mission this year is to become self-sufficient in plasma, as year-on-year demand increases by 10 per cent and we are falling behind.
You can book a timeslot via the NZ Blood Service website. When you arrive, ensure you bring identification, such as a valid driver’s license, birth certificate, passport, school or university identification, a HANZ 18 plus card, or a firearms licence.
To donate blood for the first time, you must meet the following criteria: be at least 16 years old and under 71 years old. Existing donors can donate until 75, and, subject to authorisation from a New Zealand Blood Service medical officer, may donate until their 81st birthday.
Donors must weigh at least 50 kilograms and be at least 150 centimetres tall, while donors under 25 must meet additional criteria.
After a quick health check, you will be seated in a specialised donor chair for 5-10 minutes for a whole-blood donation. For plasma donations, you will be seated for 45 minutes to one hour.
After the procedure, you will be required to remain seated for another 10 minutes, then invited to a designated area for refreshments and something to eat before being allowed to leave.
If you have a sore throat, cold sores, the common cold, or any other health condition, you cannot donate. If you have recently had a tattoo or cosmetic injections, then you will have to wait at least three months before donating.
However, if a licensed health professional performed the cosmetic injections, and the swelling has gone down, you may be able to donate within 12 hours. After giving birth, mothers may not give blood, generally for up to nine months.
Cancer patients, accident/trauma patients, and patients with heart/kidney/liver disease are the main recipients of blood donations, and approximately 30,000 people in New Zealand need blood products each year.
