MOBILE UNIT OF BLOOD BANK

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27735, 12 August 1955, Page 12

MOBILE UNIT OF BLOOD BANK

FIRST TOUR OF DUTY COMPLETED The mobile unit from the Christchurch Public Hospital’s blood bank, which recently completed its first tour of duty, has taken blood from 730 donors in the first six months of work. This is more than one-third of the donors on the panel at the end of last year. “The demand for blood, from the hospitals can be ascertained •by the fact that, in the first seven months of this year, we have issued 2411 bottles, compared with 1863 last year, an increase of 548 bottles,” said Mr Tom W. Smith, secretary of the National' Blood Transfusion Service, an association of voluntary donors of blood. “This week one patient had 21 bottles of blood so that surgery could be carried out,” he said. AH this blood was Group A positive. There are four blood groups, which must be available at all times.” The staff of the unit coinprised one doctor, three technicians, three Red Cross voluntary aids, and one member of the St. John Ambulance Brigade, Mr Smith said. “Last Friday the unit paid a visit to Cheviot, leaving the Christchurch Hospital at 8.15 a.m. and returning at 6.15 p.m., with 73 pints of blood from the people of Cheviot,” he said. “We shall begin the next round of visits next Friday with a second visit to Leeston. Last year, there were 24 donors, but we understand there will be more this time. This will be followed by a second visit to Oxford, where we again understand they have increased their donors. Last year there were 47 donors. Waikari will be the next centre visited, on September 16, and there again extra donors are promised. Scargill will send donors to Waikari.”