Project
Blood
donation
In Hungary, 1,600 blood donations are registered each day and almost 400,000 each year. In spite of this, blood stocks are far from ‘overflowing’. Real-time prognosis by the Hungarian National Blood Transfusion Service (HNBTS) shows that stocks of all blood types may drop to a critical level within a week. Yet, there is no cause for alarm. The HNBTS has stocks for 5–6 days. That amount is sufficient to ensure continuous supply to healthcare institutions. Considering that blood products with the shortest shelf life expire within 5 days, there would be no point in holding larger stocks. Continuity is what really matters.
Although any of us may be in need of a blood product some day, it is not easy to mobilise potential blood donors. Blood donation is fully voluntary, however, donors are rewarded with some chocolate, water and a meal voucher. In addition, donors are notified in a text message when their donation is used, which may encourage them to become regular donors. In 2018, successful efforts to reach out to potential donors helped to stop the decline in donor numbers seen in recent years. This photo report aims to introduce the journey of blood to recipients and to highlight that each and every blood donor contributes to somebody’s recovery and may thereby save lives.
