APPEAL FOR BLOOD DONORS: ONLY LIMITED RESPONSE

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 June 1950, Page 6

APPEAL FOR BLOOD DONORS: ONLY LIMITED RESPONSE

The renewed appeal, yesterday of the Greymouth and District Volunteer Blood Donor Society, for enlistment of more donors at Greymouth, resulted in the enrolment of three from Greymouth and one from Runanga. This was far below what was expected, said the honorary secretary, Mr J. A. Mclnroe. There had, however, been-several inquiries from members of the society wondering if they could be of assistance and asking why they had not been called upon within the last two years, while others had been called upon two or three times during that period, added Mr Mclnroe. He said that the reason may. have been any one of the following:— Change of address, no telephone numbers for emergency calls, and the loss of some of the records of grouping made two years ago: Those donors who could be reached easily by telephone were invariably the ones secured in emergencies. It was a case of an all-in effort when a call came from the hospital, ana donors were telephoned and directed to the hospital until such time as the lull complement was secured. The reason for this practice more recently has been the setting-up of an Intravenous Department at the Grey Hospital, so that blood may be more readily and properly stored and converted to plasma when it has reached the expiry period. Jhis project was now almost complete, Mr Mclnroe added, and in the future it was hoped to be able to give donors more warning, while it would also give more time to sort out those donors who were not so regularly called for the reasons indicated. All blood donors who have ’ not been called upon in the last two years are asked to contact either the secretary of the society or the bacteriologist at the Grey Hospital, Mr D. Burt, stating if they are willing to remain on the rolls, furnishing telephone numbers, age, blood group, and address. . '