HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 14 (ACN) Fulfilling the surgical demand, emergency care and medical assistance of the Maternal and Infant Care Program is possible in Cuba thanks to voluntary blood donations.
Speaking exclusively to the Cuban News Agency, Ariel Legra Ayala, head of the blood bank and clinical laboratory service at the National Institute of Angiology and Vascular Surgery, said that there is no substitute for this life-saving substance, which is why donations are so necessary, since for each donation three to four lives can be saved.
On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, he pointed out that fresh plasma, platelet and erythrocyte concentrates and cryoprecipitate are obtained from blood, thus when a person altruistically extends his or her arm, it has an impact on several patients.
Legra Ayala, who also has a degree in Transfusion Medicine, explained that the Institute guarantees both components for emergency and elective surgeries, and that since December 2021 to date, more than 150 components have been transfused, including blood cells, plasma and platelets, which have benefited more than 50 patients.
World Blood Donor Day is celebrated every June 14 to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products for transfusions, and the date also highlights the contributions of voluntary unpaid donors to national health systems.
