5,600 new blood donors signed up for the country’s blood banks in June, reports the Red Cross. This is a doubling compared to the same month last year.
During the course of life, every other Norwegian will need treatment with blood products. Nevertheless, blood donors make up less than 2 percent of the Norwegian population.
However, according to the Red Cross figures of blood donors, there are more and more willing to give blood. In July, 5,600 new blood donors reported.
“It is very gratifying that so many will be blood donors. We would like to thank everyone who makes an invaluable effort to ensure that human life is not lost,” says Elizabeth Salas Andreassen, who is responsible for the Red Cross blood donor program.
The program recruits 90 percent of Norwegian blood donors.
Blood is a living material with limited shelf life. The blood banks must therefore constantly replenish new blood so as not to go empty, and they need 30,000 new blood donors a year to maintain blood readiness in Norway.
In this context, summer is a challenging time, as many blood donors are inaccessible due to vacation. For even with modern and advanced technology, blood cannot be produced artificially, it must be donated.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
