Canadian Blood Services calls for more donors as demand for blood rises nationwide
The need for blood and plasma is growing in this province and across the country. Canadian Blood Services says demand is rising faster than expected, as more patients require transfusions for surgeries, cancer treatments, and emergency care.
To help keep up, the organization has updated its donation eligibility criteria in recent months meaning some people who weren’t able to donate before may now be eligible. Officials are encouraging new donors to check the guidelines online or at their local clinic.
Right now, only about two per cent of all eligible Canadians are donating blood, a number Canadian Blood Services says needs to grow significantly to meet future needs. Demand for blood is expected to rise by nearly ten per cent over the next five years, and the agency has set an ambitious target, to recruit one million new donors nationwide by 2030.
Canadian Blood Services says every donation counts and just one can help save or improve up to three lives.