More than 1,000 blood donor appointments need to be filled in B.C. this week

It’s National Blood Donor Week in Canada, and the need is great.

Johanna Aguirre with Canadian Blood Services says that in B.C. alone, there are more than 1,200 appointments that need to be booked just this week to ensure the supply is topped up.

“It’s quite easy to donate and to book an appointment at your most convenient location. And we would be very grateful,” Aguirre told 1130 NewsRadio.

This week comes as the organization tries to recruit one million new donors over the next five years — a move that’s being described as the most ambitious in the history of Canadian Blood Services. Currently, there are about 400,000 regular donors, and she explains that’s not enough.

“What we are projecting is going to be an increase of 10 per cent for blood products in the next five years, as well as a 50 per cent increase for plasma protein products. The need is increasing.”

Aguirre says that while most of the blood and plasma received goes to people in need, it is also used for other medical purposes.

“For us to be able to continue supporting all the clinical research, as well as an aging population and their needs for blood products, we do require those one million new donors,” she said.

“And when you think about plasma as well, it’s one of the ones where we are actually making medication out of plasma that we require more urgently to increase the accessibility in Canada.”

She thinks one of the main reasons people don’t give is because they may not realize how great the need is all the time. Another concern is with summer upcoming, donations tend to drop off as people head away on vacation.

The good news is that there is no widespread shortage in Canada, but Aguirre says maintaining these levels is challenging.

Appointments can be booked online or via the Canadian Blood Services app, GiveBlood.