Volunteers from Rotary Club of Victoria to give blood |12 June 2020

Fifty volunteers from all walks of life will donate blood at the Blood Transfusion Centre of Seychelles Hospital on Sunday June 14, starting at 8am.

The Health Care Agency and the Rotary Club of Victoria have organised this event to coincide with World Blood Donor Day which falls on the same date.

Chief technologist of the clinical laboratory of Seychelles Hospital, Joanne Michel states that donated blood stored in the blood bank of Seychelles Hospital is never enough despite the 300 or so people who give blood regularly.

"We rely heavily on family replacement," she said. "Although, the total capacity of the blood bank is 450 to 500 units, we are rarely at maximum capacity,” she added.

On average the hospital uses 4 to 5 units every day. Blood groups A and O are the most common blood groups among the Seychellois.

Since 2004, every year countries around the world commemorate World Blood Donor Day on June 14. The commemoration serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood.

Press release from the department of health