By Tanakorn Sangiam

   

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Thai Red Cross Society is inviting members of the public to donate blood during the Songkran holidays at the National Blood Center in Bangkok.

 

The Thai Red Cross Society’s summer blood donation campaign is designed to build reserves in the national blood bank during Songkran, as hospitals usually see a spike in emergency cases from road accidents, requiring blood as part of the treatment, at this time of year.

 

The Thai Red Cross anticipates it will need to deliver no less than 3,000 units of blood daily to treat patients, while the current amount in the blood bank falls short of this quantity.

 

Emergency cases from road accidents which require surgery usually need 2-3 units of blood to be available at the hospital, or 5-10 units for more complex case. Surgery will need to be pushed back should the hospital not have this amount of blood on hand.

 

At the National Blood Center in Bangkok today, only a few people were found visiting to donate blood this morning, as many people have already left on their trips, or may be concerned about the latest wave of COVID-19 cases.

 

The National Blood Center has arranged its facilities to ensure proper physical distancing, with 48 beds available for blood donations. People who go there to donate blood from now until 16th April will receive a face mask lanyard as a gift.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-04-12

 

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4 minutes ago, webfact said:

The Thai Red Cross Society is inviting members of the public to donate blood during the Songkran holidays at the National Blood Center in Bangkok.

Would have thought doing it earlier FOR Sonkran would have been a better idea

55 minutes ago, webfact said:

The Thai Red Cross Society is inviting members of the public to donate blood during the Songkran holidays at the National Blood Center in Bangkok.

Unless you're British or lived in the UK 1980-1996, then sadly you are not eligible.

are you kidding me? crowded place inside the hospital? hmm...

Once over 70 , they do not even look at you , even if you have O Negative..Amazing shortsighted Thailand AGAIN 

 

"Once over 70 , they do not even look at you ".  At 64 years (and very healthy!), I was disappointed that the Bangkok Red Cross already rejected me.  Check before you go to give blood.

On 4/12/2021 at 6:16 AM, bluesofa said:

Unless you're British or lived in the UK 1980-1996, then sadly you are not eligible.

Well I have been donating blood without any problems here for over 10 years and I am English and lived there between those dates.

1 hour ago, Andycoops said:

On 4/12/2021 at 6:16 AM, bluesofa said:

Unless you're British or lived in the UK 1980-1996, then sadly you are not eligible.

Well I have been donating blood without any problems here for over 10 years and I am English and lived there between those dates.

Did they not ask you to fill in an application form when you started?

This is quoted directly from the Red Cross questionnaire I was given on 7 December last year:

13. Have you had a blood transfusion in UK during 1980-1996?

14. Did you reside in UK during 1980-1996 for the period of more than 6 months?

 

It's to do with mad cow disease (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease).

The very helpful staff at Udon  told me they had no way to test donors blood for it, therefore anyone fitting the profile in 13 or 14 were not allowed to donate.
 

I told the staff that in the UK I donated blood for years before and during that time period. They said the UK must have developed some way of testing all donors, but Thailand didn't have that facility, so they weren't able to accept us.

 

 

Which hospitals around Pattaya want our blood ?