The National Blood Transfusion Service’ (NBTS) National Blood Centre/Central Blood Bank has appealed for continued blood donations in the coming days, emphasising that despite a recent surge in volunteerism, the current high demand for blood necessitates further donor support.
The Director of the Service, Dr. Lakshman Edirisinghe told The Daily Morning that while a recent short-notice appeal saw an overwhelming public response, pushing processing capacity to its near peak, last on 29 November, the need remains critical.
“The NBTS itself collected approximately 600 units on 29 November,” Dr. Edirisinghe stated. “We have donors registered to donate with us, but we are still not able to say that we have enough and to stop the appeal. There is a high demand at the moment.”
He added that an official update on donations would be issued in the coming days. This follows a surge of volunteers at blood centres across the country on 29 November, after the NBTS' appeal for donors.
Addressing common concerns from potential donors, Dr. Edirisinghe clarified several points on eligibility. A donor must wait four months after a donation before giving blood again. Individuals with tattoos also can donate blood if the tattoo is over two years old. For first-time donors, the criteria are specific: age must be between 18 and 55 years, the weight must exceed 55 kilograms, and the individual must not have traveled to any country that has not eradicated malaria within the two years prior to donation.
He noted that while the service normally operates 24 centres nationwide, current circumstances mean that only a limited number are functioning optimally, with centres like Nuwara Eliya being inaccessible.
Donors are urged to visit the following Hospitals between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.: Jaffna, Kurunegala, Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Matara, Hambantota, Kalutara, Ratnapura, Trincomalee, the National Cancer Institute/Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama, the Colombo North Teaching Hospital in Ragama, and Galle. The Narahenpita donation centre remains open until 6.30 p.m.