By Thulasizwe Nkomo
South African National Blood Services (SANBS) said that while their blood stocks are currently stable, they are still encouraging people to donate.
SANBS said their stocks recovered after reporting a shortage ahead of the holiday season last year.
SANBS director of operations Ravi Reddy said their blood stocks were 4.2 days which was acceptable, but they were aiming for a 5-day capacity.
He said the demand for blood during the holiday season was relatively low as most hospital beds were allocated to Covid-19 patients.
Reddy said the alcohol ban announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Dec. 28 resulted in fewer trauma cases in hospitals and a low demand for blood.
He added that KZN had less blood supply because there were fewer blood donors.
“We usually transport blood from other provinces to KZN,” Reddy said.
Khensani Mahlangu, Communications Manager of SANBS, said: “I think the public has heard our calls (for donations) and responded well. So at the moment we are still asking donors of blood type O, in particular, to come and donate blood.
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