News

New Zealand’s aging population and busier lifestyles may lead to a deficiency in blood supplies in the future, making current recruitment of younger donors particularly important.

Leita Mackay of the New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) says people lead busier lives these days, and that there are misunderstandings about giving blood that are hampering efforts to recruit donors. “People think that if they are on a medication or have travelled overseas they can’t donate, and this is not necessarily true because rules change.”
   Recruiting new donors is the major aim of the NZBS’s latest round of collections in Dunedin. Active recruitment of the student population in Dunedin is especially important, Mackay tells Critic. “There is a high student population in Dunedin and therefore a high turnover of donors.” Recruiting students is crucial as “in twenty years we will have quite a significant drop in donors due to the aging population.”
   Currently less than five percent of the national population are blood donors, with the most common reason cited for not donating being a phobia of needles (trypanophobia). Mackay said that while “nobody loves needles, in this short process you will be saving three lives. What if you needed blood? You would be more then happy to have a needle in your arm.”
   Donations are used in a huge variety of medical operations, including those for cancer. “Not everyone thinks about the fact that they would know at least someone who has needed a blood transfusion,” Mackay explains.
   The NZBS will be collecting on campus this week and they are hoping to get a good turnout. Mackay warns there are usually big queues on the hour due to the lecture timetable. “We encourage people to make time to donate between the hours if they don’t want to wait too long.”
   Campus collection dates are Wednesday 13 October 12-4pm and Thursday 14 October 10-3pm in the Gazebo Room.
   For more information on the NZBS, to book an appointment, or to read up on recipients’ experiences go to nzblood.co.nz or visit their Facebook page.