VOLUNTARY blood donation was yesterday given a boost as 20 units of blood were donated by staff of the Government Information Agency (GINA) and the National Communications Network (NCN) during a blood drive held at GINA on Homestretch Avenue .

This will add to the voluntary donor base of the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) since many of the media members are first time donors.

“This must be the very first time in Guyana and could be the very first time globally that the media is taking the lead in terms of blood donation. I want to congratulate GINA and NCN for this initiative and hope that all media houses will join as it will contribute to the Ministry’s target of achieving a 100 percent voluntary donation,” Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy said.

In order to satisfy the demand, approximately 10,000 units of blood are needed annually. At present, the NBTS collects about 7,000 units of which 45 percent are from voluntary donors.

“It is an important initiative because the Ministry’s goal is to achieve 100 percent voluntary donation. I would wish that one day, somebody would visit any hospital in this country and blood would be automatically available for them to use should they need it and not be told by hospital administrators that they have to seek relatives in order to get blood,” the Minister said.

Blood donation was significantly boosted last year and the Ministry is aiming to collect over 7,500 units this year from voluntary donation.

This is to ensure blood safety as blood is needed for several clinical procedures including during delivery, in cases of accidents and numerous surgical operations.