It is now located just outside the Bellvitge Hospital metro stop. With seven bunk beds for blood, plasma and platelets donation, it operates from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 8 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 2 pm and from 3 pm to 8 pm. Last year, 8,144 blood donations and 1,138 plasma donations were made.
From this month on, people who want to donate blood or plasma at Bellvitge Hospital have a new, larger and more comfortable spot to do so.
The Blood Bank has installed brand new modules at the exit of the metro stop allowing up to eight people to donate blood simultaneously.
The space, which takes more than 120 m2, has new equipment, including two machines for plasma or platelet donations. Every day, an average of 50 red blood cell transfusions, ten plasma transfusions and seven platelet transfusions are performed at Bellvitge. In contrast, last year around thirty donations were made per day.
Thanks to the new space, its good location and accessibility, the Blood Bank expects to increase the number of donors. In order to be a donor, one must register on the website donarsang.gencat.cat. In general, anyone who is in good health and meets the following basic conditions can donate blood:
- Aged between 18 and 70 years
- Weigh 50 kilos or more
- Women must not be pregnant If you are interested in being a blood donor, please visit the following links: donating and health requirements and donating and travelling.
Increased needs
This year hospitals are using more blood than last year. Surgical activity has returned to normal and in addition to that, operations postponed due to the pandemic are still being recovered. It is estimated that 173 people need blood every day in Catalan hospitals. The most frequent reasons why a patient may need transfusions are cancers, intestinal haemorrhages, heart attacks, fractures or blood diseases such as anaemia.