Donations

[yingco]

How long does it takes for the lab to certify that you are a suitable blood donor, esp in case of emergency and you want to help your friend who's in acute condition?

I understand that the blood bank may experience shortage of blood supplies at times. How does the hospitals allocate the use of the scarce blood resource among the patients? Do people die from not getting sufficient blood supply in time? Which type of patients requires the most amount of blood? How much blood can the bank keep? Which blood types are rare in Singapore? How many blood banks are there in Singapore?

If you are going for a operation soon, can you donate your blood for your own use? What's the maximum amount of blood you can donate? How long can the blood be stored? Will there be an extra charge, how much?

[yingco]

> I wonder what is the population of Singapore that can actually donate blood?

We have a demographic of young dependents, anyone below age of 16, who can't donate blood. We also have a group of patients who are on medication and could not donate blood as well.

> Can our elderly, >60yrs, donate blood?
> Are Singaporeans more and more unhealthy (get sick easily and is on medication) that they are not able to donate blood? (Sorry if this kinda stupid question) :D

>> Chemicals in medicine affects the blood and we can't donate within the next 2 weeks. Does chemicals from processed food affects our blood as well? They are laden with "god-knows-what" names of chemicals, as well as availability of GM (genetic modified) food. If the above assumptions are correct, blood donors are restricted to eating fresh produce for 3 months before they can donate, it will be rather difficult to collect blood tp help save lives.

[Shan Xue]

How long does it takes for the lab to certify that you are a suitable blood donor, esp in case of emergency and you want to help your friend who's in acute condition?

Within a day. However, only in hospitals which have blood collection facilities. Blood bank at HSA don't collect directed donations.


I understand that the blood bank may experience shortage of blood supplies at times. How does the hospitals allocate the use of the scarce blood resource among the patients? Do people die from not getting sufficient blood supply in time? Which type of patients requires the most amount of blood? How much blood can the bank keep? Which blood types are rare in Singapore? How many blood banks are there in Singapore?


The hospital has a panel of doctors deciding which patients will get the blood. Non emergency surgeries are postponed when there is insufficient blood, just like what happened in the recent blood shortage before CNY. see http://www.givelife2.org/aboutblood/bloodusage.asp (http://www.givelife2.org/aboutblood/bloodusage.asp) for the amount of blood required for each type of patient. Blood bank can keep a lot of blood. the issue is not enough donors. all the Rhesus negative blood type are rare in singapore. there are two blood banks in singapore. one at HSA and one in NUH. one can also donate platelets at SGH but the donations there are not linked to the blood banks.


If you are going for a operation soon, can you donate your blood for your own use? What's the maximum amount of blood you can donate? How long can the blood be stored? Will there be an extra charge, how much?

Yes, you can. see http://www.hsa.gov.sg/html/consumer/ctm_autologous_blood.html (http://www.hsa.gov.sg/html/consumer/ctm_autologous_blood.html)



I wonder what is the population of Singapore that can actually donate blood?



"With about 65% of our population who are within the eligible age to give blood, only 1% are blood donors."
http://www.redcross.org.sg/press_bdrp_6Feb2004.htm


Can our elderly, >60yrs, donate blood?

No. the age limit is 60.
"Age : 16 to 60 years (16 & 17-year-old can donate with parental / guardian consent) "
http://www.hsa.gov.sg/html/consumer/ctm_how_to_be_a_donor.html




Are Singaporeans more and more unhealthy (get sick easily and is on medication) that they are not able to donate blood? (Sorry if this kinda stupid question) :D


i think so. many times i ask people to donate blood, they said they can't because they are on medication.


Chemicals in medicine affects the blood and we can't donate within the next 2 weeks. Does chemicals from processed food affects our blood as well? They are laden with "god-knows-what" names of chemicals, as well as availability of GM (genetic modified) food. If the above assumptions are correct, blood donors are restricted to eating fresh produce for 3 months before they can donate, it will be rather difficult to collect blood tp help save lives.

The chemicals from processed food are approved by the authorities. There is also no GM label. Since the chemicals and GM food are approved by the authorities, they don't have a valid reason to ban people from donating blood if they consume these things. Otherwise, they are slapping themselves by indicating that they approved something harmful to be used in food. i personally believe chemicals from processed food and GM are harmful especially in the next generation. that may explain why there are so many birth defects in this century which is pretty unheard of in the past. i have seen donors with milky blood because of eaten something unhealthy. this is indeed undesirable. however as you said, it will be difficult to enforce that donors only eat healthy food before they come and donate.

[SpectreZ]

ehhhh ... Juz for ur Information ... Blood collected at NUH which be used at NUH ... NUH will not distribute their blood to other hospital ... As for the Blood Bank which is at Outram park (HSA building) ... They are the distributor... Blood collected at blood mobile drive will be send to HSA blood bank to test ... after tested ... safe blood will be send to various hospital that needs blood or other human source ... but not for the NUH ..