Blood donations in Türkiye fall short, says Red Crescent official

ANKARA

The level of blood donations in Türkiye remains insufficient, a senior official from the Red Crescent has reported, calling for an urgent increase in contributions.

According to data from the Turkish Red Crescent, the country has received 1.26 million units of blood donations from 1.19 million individuals since the onset of this year. Among these donors, 830,000 are regular contributors.

The data also highlights a gender disparity in blood donations, with women constituting only 12.2 percent of donors. This translates to just 148,664 units of blood donated by women so far this year.

More than half of Türkiye's blood donors are aged between 26 and 45, with individuals in their 20s being the most frequent donors.

Gülhayat Kızanlık, a senior official from the Red Crescent's European regional office, emphasized the urgent need for more donations.

"There is an average annual blood use of 3.5 million units in our country. As the Red Crescent, our stock in the country should be at least over 70,000 units," she said. "This means we need approximately 8,500 blood friends daily."

Her comments came amid Turkish Red Crescent's new campaign dubbed "We Are Wholeheartedly Connected." The project aims at increasing the rate of regular blood donors and boosting stock levels, which have dwindled due to seasonal fluctuations.

"The regular donation rate, which is crucial, is below 50 percent in Türkiye," Kızanlık noted. "We need to increase this to between 70 percent and 80 percent. This is only possible if donations are made regularly, ensuring 365 days of uninterrupted donations."

Compared to many countries globally, Türkiye's regular blood donation rate remains low, according to the Turkish Red Crescent's data.

Kızanlık pointed out that women can donate blood every four months, while men can donate every three months.

"We provide services throughout the country via 318 regional blood centers and 69 blood donation centers, with our 4,000 employees," said Kızanlık, urging citizens to donate blood.