🩸 Cayman Islands Blood Bank calls for more donors

The Cayman Islands Blood Bank, the sole supplier of blood products on the island, is urging residents to become donors. The call comes as part of an effort to meet the Pan-American Health Organization’s recommendation of having 5% of the population as blood donors. In 2023, 1,600 people, or 3.5% of the population, donated blood, marking a 9% increase from the previous year. However, to achieve self-sustainability and eliminate the need for foreign blood procurement, more donors are needed. 🩸

Thanks to the acquisition of two Haemonetics MCS+ machines in late 2022, the blood bank has already significantly reduced its importation of platelets. These machines perform apheresis platelet collection, resulting in an 84% reduction in imported platelets since 2021. In addition, the Cayman Islands Government approved a change in the local blood donor eligibility policy in September 2023, allowing people who lived in Britain between 1980 and 2001 or who had received a blood transfusion in the UK from 1980 onwards to donate blood. This change has broadened the pool of potential donors. 🏥

Donating blood takes about 10 minutes, while donating platelets takes between one and two hours. Donations can be made at the Blood Bank located at the George Town Hospital. Prospective donors can visit the Cayman Islands Blood Bank website to check their eligibility and schedule an appointment. 🌐