Blood donations running low in Saskatchewan

One in two people will need a donation of blood at some point in their life, but Saskatchewan is running short.

Aaron Barlow with Canadian Blood Services said hospital demand for blood is outpacing donations, not just in Saskatchewan, but across all of Canada.

“There’s over 600,000 eligible donors in Saskatchewan. We’re seeing less than two per cent of those people actually donate at our donor centres,” Barlow said.

He said there have been a number of unfilled appointments for quite some time.

“As people were wrapping up their summer and getting into fall, donating blood is not a top-of-mind thing for most people,” he said.

Every month, Canadian Blood Services has a target number of donation appoints to book in order to ensure that hospitals are equipped with enough blood products. Right now, Barlow said, only 60 per cent of those appointments are being filled.

“Looking at our preparedness, we can see that there are 1,000 open appointments between now and Nov. 1 at the Regina donor centre,” said Barlow.

But even if those appointments were all filled, it wouldn’t entirely solve the problem.

“We would be getting back on track, but one thing of note is the need for blood is constant,” Barlow said.

“As we look ahead to November and December, with holidays (and) long weekends, those things also impact collections where people are busy or travelling.”

If those appointments go unfilled, Barlow said blood inventory will continue to drop, which will have a direct impact on patient care.

Donated blood products are used for many things, like serious trauma, emergency care, surgeries, cancer treatments and managing diseases and disorders.

Barlow said there’s a good chance that most people are eligible to donate. Anyone at least 17 years of age and in general good health can inquire.

He said the process is easy, and it includes a sweet treat at the end of the appointment.

“Donating only takes a couple of minutes. Then you get to hang out in the refreshment area and have snacks, cookies, pop and chips. You leave knowing the hour it took you to visit our Canadian Blood Services Centre can have a life-saving difference to a patient,” he said.

Barlow encouraged anyone interested in donating to tell their family, friends and coworkers about the constant need for blood donations.