Appeal for more men to donate blood after fall in numbers
Written by News on 10/06/2019
The number of men giving blood has fallen sharply in the past five years, according to new figures.
Of last year’s new blood donors, 63% were women and 37% were men.
Over the past five years, the number of women donating has dropped by just 6% but the number of men has fallen 24.8%.
Having a good number of male blood donors is important because men are more likely to have iron levels high enough to donate.
Their blood is also easier to use for blood products such as plasma and platelets, whereas women who have been pregnant can have antibodies in their blood which can make it more difficult to match with recipients.
NHS Blood and Transplant is appealing for new male donors near its 23 permanent centres, which are located across the country in cities including London, Manchester, Cambridge, Sheffield and Leicester.
Mike Stredder, the organisation’s director of blood donation, said: “Men are more likely to be able to donate, and able to help more patients with each donation, so we need a new generation of young male donors to ensure our donor base is strong enough to keep supplying lifesaving blood to hospitals.
“We can assure men out there that blood donation is an amazing experience that you can feel proud of.
“Giving blood is quick and easy – we aim to have you in and out within an hour but the actual donation itself should only take around 10 minutes.”
(c) Sky News 2019: Appeal for more men to donate blood after fall in numbers
