MeDirect held an internal blood drive at our Head Office in Sliema for staff members. Volunteers from the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) brought their equipment to the Head Office and set up a medical examination area, preliminary testing area, and blood donation area. This allowed MeDirect employees to donate blood without having to leave the office.
The national blood transfusion unit strives to provide a sustainable safe blood supply in the Maltese Islands. The services offered include counselling to donors, basic biochemical screening and awareness campaigns on the importance of blood donation.
When speaking about the function of the organisation, Dr Alex Aquilina – the Director of the NBTS, explains that many people who receive blood would not have anticipated their need for a blood transfusion in the near future. Similarly, the NBTS wants people across Malta to have peace of mind that blood is readily available and safe to be transfused if people should require it. As a result, Dr Aquilina followed up by saying that “the aim for the existence of the blood transfusion service is to provide a sustainable and safe blood supply.”
In 2018, over 15,000 individuals donated blood; 10,000 were male, and 5,000 were female. The largest group of donors were between the ages of 46-55, with the smallest age group being 17-25. When it comes to specific blood groups, the most frequently donated is O+ and A+, with over 6,000 donations each. On the other hand, there were only approximately 1,000 donations each for the O-, A- and B+ blood groups. Furthermore, the AB+ blood group had less than 500 donations, and there were no donations for the B- and AB- blood groups.
Dr Aquilina states that at the end of the day, the only way a blood bank can function is if blood is available, and this can only be achieved through the generous donations that people make. He thanks all current donors and reminds people that there are always individuals out there who need blood transfusions.
Towards lunch time, talks were held at the staff canteen regarding ergonomics delivered by Mr. Matthew Camilleri who is a Physiotherapist. He went on by discussing the importance of posture in the place of work among other topics. Following his talk an organ donation speech was delivered by Ms. Patricia Galea who is the Director Health Care Standards Department for Health Regulation who stated the utmost importance of organ donation subscription at this day and age. For further information on how to become a donor please visit their website.
If you would like to learn more about the National Blood Transfusion Service and how you can become a donor, you can visit their Facebook page or website. MeDirect would like to thank all the employees who participated in the blood drive and gave a donation to help towards saving a life.
“It costs you nothing, it may be slightly inconvenient, time consuming etc. but what is all this next to saving a life?”
