The Red Cross has launched a new appeal for blood donors, asking people to imagine a world without A, B and O. Without these letters, words would disappear, and without blood donations, hundreds of people would not survive illnesses or accidents.
As part of World Blood Donor Day, it is important to note that blood collected at the Luxembourg Red Cross blood transfusion centre (CTS) is a fundamental resource for saving lives.
Certain blood elements, such as platelets, have a short shelf life and can only be used within a matter of days. This necessitates a number of regular collections, covering all the country's needs, in order to treat the sick and injured.
In 2018, 13,697 people were registered as blood donors in Luxembourg, with 1,178 people donating for the first time. In total, the CTS teams collected 22,486 donations.
Faced with the constantly increasing demand for blood and its derivatives, Luxembourg's challenge is to guarantee permanent availability. School holidays and bank holidays are known to disturb the usual routine for collection. It is therefore important to motivate existing donors to renew their donations on a regular basis, as well as amassing new donors.
Staff at the blood transfusion centre are available to answer the public's questions and can make appointments for first donations. They are open from 8am to 4pm on Mondays and Fridays, and open until 6.30pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The centre can be reached on 27 55-4000.
Women in good health can donate every four months, with men able to donate every 3 months. Donating is a quick process - appointments in 2018 lasted on average 34 minutes between arriving at the transfusion centre and finishing the donation.
When donating plasma or platelets, the conditions are slightly different - appointments must be made in advance and take around 45 minutes to complete.
MORE INFO ON HOW TO DONATE HERE: Croix Rouge Luxembourg
