Hospitals would struggle to cope with the demand for blood if a national disaster happened, said practice nurse Tony Micallef, insisting many still feared becoming donors.
Speaking to this newspaper on the occasion of World Blood Donors Day, today, Mr Micallef – a practice nurse at the National Blood Transfusion Unit – said that the unit never had enough blood and if a major accident ever happened, it would spell disaster.
“For instance, take that accident some two weeks ago involving a minibus full of students. Had the injuries been worse, securing blood supply for all those involved could have been a problem,” Mr Micallef said.
Along with the rest of the world, Malta is marking the day by calling on people to donate blood regularly and not only when disaster strikes.
Mr Micallef explained that this year’s Donor Day theme, chosen by the World Health Organisation and urging people to donate regularly and not just when there is a major accident or attack, is relevant to Malta: “We might not have natural disasters or major incidents happening as often as in other countries, but we deal with other issues, such as major traffic accidents, which have in recent years increased,” the practice nurse explained.
Had the minibus accident been worse, securing blood could have been a problem
Last year, there were some 290 road accidents that were classified as major and involved serious injuries, he said.
Mr Micallef pointed out that just as in other countries, the number of people donating blood tended to spike when there were such incidents, but the need for donated blood, which is essential for cancer treatment, accidents and operations, is always there.
The practice nurse, who is in charge of donor liaison at the unit, located next to St Luke’s Hospital in Pietà, added that these people would often only donate blood once, being motivated solely by the trauma of witnessing such an incident.
While every drop counts, Mr Micallef insisted that more regular blood donors were needed, and he added that blood drives which brought together large groups were more likely to be effective.
“We have seen this with colleagues who come together to donate blood as a group.
“Very often they feel part of something, and they tend to return months later. That is why, now that the feasts are approaching, we are trying to encourage enthusiasts to incorporate blood drives into their calendar of events,” he went on.
And while stepped-up efforts on social media aimed at getting more people to donate blood have resulted in some improvements, Mr Micallef insisted that people were more likely to show up if they were encouraged to do so by a friend.
He urged those locals who donate blood regularly to take a friend with them the next time they visited the unit.
The National Blood Transfusion unit is open from Monday to Sunday between 8am and 6pm.