Blood bank seeks more donors to end imports
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Blood Bank, the only supplier of blood products on the island, is calling on members of the public to become donors, given the crucial role voluntary donations play in saving lives and maintaining public health. Last year, 1,600 people (3.5% of the population) donated blood, representing a 9% increase compared to 2022. But for Cayman to meet the Pan-American Health Organization’s (PAHO) recommendation to have 5% of the population as donors, the bank needs more people to come forward.
“We ensure that a minimum daily inventory for all blood types is maintained so that when it is needed, we have sufficient supply,” said Judith Clarke, the blood bank’s laboratory manager. “The goal is to be self-sustainable, and therefore, there would be no need to procure blood overseas. Thanks to our donors, we are moving in the right direction.”
The blood bank has already reduced its importation of platelets thanks to the acquisition of two Haemonetics MCS+ machines in late 2022. The machines perform apheresis platelet collection by extracting the platelets and filtering the blood back to the donor. This has resulted in an 84% reduction in imported platelets since 2021, officials said.
“The Blood Bank’s ability to reduce importation of blood products is a positive move to achieving self-sufficiency and improves the chances of saving lives,” said Dr Vinton Douglas, acting CEO at the Health Services Authority.
In September 2023, the Cayman Islands Government finally approved a change in the local blood donor eligibility policy so that people who lived in Britain between 1980 and 2001 or who had received a blood transfusion in the UK from 1980 onwards could give blood.
Before that, these people were banned from donating due to fears about Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as “mad cow disease”, which in the 1980s and 1990s killed 178 people in the UK through eating BSE-infected meat.
Dr Douglas said that this broadening of the eligibility requirements had helped to widen the pool of donors and improved the chance of meeting the threshold recommended by PAHO.
“With the increase in the population, the Blood Bank must ensure that it is prepared for eventualities such as surgeries, accident victims, and pregnant mothers across the islands,” he added.
Donating blood takes approximately 10 minutes, and donating platelets takes between one and two hours. Both are available at the Blood Bank located at the George Town Hospital. To donate, individuals must be 18 to 65 years of age. Blood donations can be taken every three months for males and 4 months for females, and platelets can be donated once per month.
People can donate blood or platelets Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 6:30pm
and Saturdays from 9:00am to 5:30pm.Potential donors can visit the Cayman Islands Blood Bank website to determine if they are eligible to donate blood and make an appointment.
For questions regarding blood donation call 244-2674.
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Category: Health, Medical Health
Maybe, if we are following UK rules then you can continue to give blood after 65 as long as you first gave blood before 65. That means you can’t start to give blood after 65. All of these rules include the assumption that you are fit and well, and do not have any high risk factors affecting blood quality and blood screening ability. So the list of donors tends to exclude people with recent tattoos and piercings; those who admit to having multiple sexual partners and unprotected anal sex; drug users; people who’ve traveled to countries with risks (eg yellow fever, zika etc.). Lots of reasons why someone can’t give blood too.
Please don’t ask the public to donate and then create so many needless prohibitions about who can and can’t give blood!
Update your guidelines, it’s high time your criteria were updated to reflect modern medical thinking, and not personal opinion on the part of the staff there.
Survived cancer (surgery removed it all in one go) about 40 years ago. Nothing since. Cayman blood bank won’t allow me to donate .. they don’t even ask what kind of cancer, just a no!
Tried to give blood once. Nurse was so rude as id lived in the UK during a certain time. . No sah yuh cant go yuh blood living in uk dem time sah sarry. Wasn’t even discrete, Left like I had a disease. No thank you never again.
The for-profit private medical tourism hospitals that are tapping our public blood bank supply, for elective surgeries, should be paying the generous public donors a market rate per pint, and purchasing the units of blood given free to them, that they are then re-selling to their paying customers. This is a major custody and control gap in the oversight of our limited valuable life-giving stockpiles.
Do we export blood off island ?
small islands = small medical knowledge
Health restrictions of course, but age restrictions? Why, exactly? Like many public service processes across the board, ‘verbal policies’ (more accurately, bad or unfounded practices) become the norm and the lack of discretion just makes it worse.
Almost every public service entity in the Cayman Islands suffers from the lack of sensible, efficient and consistent practices in service delivery.
I’ve been a recipient of blood transfusions in the course of live-saving treatments and I would gladly be a donor, if I could. But medical reasons prevent me from donating.
So, for healthy people who can, please donate. Any and every day that action helps to save or improve a life. What better satisfaction can one have?
To those who donate their life-blood, I offer a sincere “Thank You All!”
I tried to donate yesterday actually. Got to the car park, totally full. Unable parked, I simply left. Will try again another day.
You can book an appointment
What does that have to do with parking???
I was a regular blood donor until Mad Cow Disease surfaced but at that time I was told donations were in short supply anyway as the local custom was to donate blood only to relatives in need.
I’m sure that has changed now along with avoiding the biggest health disaster the British National Health Service has ever faced, when many years ago it imported blood products from the U.S. donated by criminals and drug users. This resulted in many patients mostly haemophiliacs contracting many life ending diseases from the infected blood with a large number still suffering after decades of ill health.I’m sure however the HSA are well aware of this and take all the necessary precautions when importing blood products.
What’s your point?
We need to be very careful of the blood products we import. Duhh!.
Anon 12.41 said that already so why repeat
Pssst the blood from a criminal won’t make you a criminal.
Wait a minute! Cayman Islands Blood Bank website says you can be upto 70 years old to donate!
https://bloodbank.ky/eligibility/
Wait a minute .. Cayman Islands Blood Bank eligibility test says you can be upto 70 yrs old to donate!!
Anything on unvaxed blood for unvaxed individuals?
Some people just deserve to die slow and painful deaths.
What an awful thing to publicly say
Some people like you?
There are banks of unvaxed blood and from people who had no COVID.
Vaccines do not transfer with blood so makes zero difference.
I think the MLAs should lead by example.
Many MPs would not honestly qualify for tats and risky partner sex.
No thank you!
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30609060/
Yes, I realise we are a UK territory, but seriously. We have willing donors!
Why cannot people 65+ donate? Large part of population here & with time on their hands . Surely this age could be increased to 70? I’m 68 & I can still run a marathon & sit on a jury!!
Yes, can we please have an explanation? Nobody seems to know why, and meanwhile we are IMPORTING blood when we have willing donors on island???!!!
nothing makes sense in cayman
There is no medical reason I can find, the USA rescinded the age restriction in 1978!
Consider this, blood is imported with a very high likelihood that it was donated by over 65s. Very few countries have age restrictions. The age restriction here is just pure stupidity and forcing imports. Can we be any more stupid?
I am 70 and have been a blood donor for years. I asked that question when I was there and they assured me that since I have been a donor previously and am in excellent health, my age was not a factor.
I am 65 could not donate blood before because of the mad cow stupidness, now I can’t because of my age. What makes your blood better than mine? (Rhetorical)