Record Blood Drive at UWI

History was created this week when the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) collected a record 233 units of blood at a drive held at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.
The blood drive, which spanned two days (November 22 to 23), goes on record as not only the largest collection of blood at a single drive but also the largest from any one institution or organisation in Jamaica.
An ecstatic Carol Williams, blood organiser at the NBTS, told JIS News that the amount superseded the 168 units collected from the same institution last year. It was for that effort that the institutions received a special award on World Blood Donor Day on June 13, 2004.
“It was fantastic. The coordination was wonderful with the students being very helpful especially the Circle K Club from the campus, which went into the halls and all the highways and byways to get persons to come out,” she said giddily.
The more than 400 persons who turned out, Ms. Williams recounted, were very positive and almost jubilant to donate blood to save lives, which was very surprising, given the assortment of fears associated with giving blood.
She also said that the NBTS would like to see the special event replicated in all other tertiary and secondary institutions in Jamaica as well as in corporate Jamaica. “If this were to happen on a regular basis, the NBTS would never have a shortage of blood and we would have blood for all persons needing it,” Ms Williams pointed out.
Meanwhile, given the high number of students, who were diagnosed with anaemia, Ms. Williams advised the public to improve their diets by including iron-rich foods. “We would like to advise all Jamaicans to eat more green leafy vegetables, rich in iron, to allow their blood count to be high,” she noted.
With Christmas around the corner, Ms. Williams implored voluntary donors to visit blood bank centres around the island, as the demand for blood usually increased during the season.