The Ministry of Health has launched the summer campaign to obtain nearly 28,000 units of blood. To do this, as indicated by the head of this department, Miguel Mínguez, this year “more than 200 points or locations specifically for summer have been set up during July and August”, to reach the number of blood units, which are “those that are they needed last summer”.
Mínguez made these statements yesterday during the presentation of the summer campaign at the Malvarrosa hospital during a blood donation day, in which the staff of the Transfusion Center of the Valencian Community (CTCV).
Specifically, this summer 80 donation points have been set up in Alicante, 50 in Castellón and 70 in Valencia. In total, almost 400 mobile equipment outings will be made each month. The head of Health recalled that “these units are necessary not only to care for victims of traffic accidents or emergency surgeries, but also for cancer patients, scheduled surgeries, people with chronic anemia and other pathologies that require periodic transfusions of blood”.
In this way, the campaign will reinforce the need to donate blood also on vacation, since also at this time they can improve the lives of many patients. On the CTCV website and through its usual social networks, you can consult the places of donation, company collaborations and answer any questions.
Since last January, the Transfusion Center of the Valencian Community (CTCV) has obtained a total of 79,395 units of blood between the three provinces. Specifically, 44,520 units in Valencia, 26,758 in Alicante and 8,117 units in Castellón. Likewise, almost 8,000 volunteers who donated for the first time in this period have registered.
The minister highlighted that in 2022 the number of new donors increased by 20% to reach 16,223. By provinces in Alicante 5,754, in Castellón 1,560 and in Valencia 8,909.
“Although the number of new donors has recovered after the pandemic, we still need to convince young people of the importance of inclusion as donors,” he said, and highlighted “the professionalism of the Center’s workers, always committed to the donor and the patient, as well as the generosity of the donors who make the recovery of the sick possible, which is an example for all”.
He also expressed the desire to “transmit to the population the importance of plasma donation and to achieve self-sufficiency in medicines derived from it to improve people’s lives.” In 2022, 5,499 plasma and platelet donations were obtained thanks to the 2,323 donors who repeatedly came forward to make this special type of donation. This year almost 3,000 plasma donations have been obtained, which shows a “good trend”, when compared to the total of the past 2022 (a total of 3,778 plasma donations).
The Transfusion Center of the Valencian Community (CTCV) ended the year 2022 with a total of 176,723 units of whole blood donated: 98,519 units in Valencia, 18,131 in Castellón and 60,073 in Alicante. These donations were possible thanks to the generosity of 116,267 people, who in many cases came to donate more than once. In 2022, the CTCV made a total of 4,920 departures with mobile teams: 2,689 in Valencia, 1,762 in Alicante and 469 in Castellón.
