THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK-
- Unique recruitment event to be held at Shepherd’s Bush blood donor centre on Saturday 5 April.
- Donors of south Asian heritage needed to help treat blood disorder that mainly affects their community
- Almost one five south Asian patients needing blood transfusion suffer side-effects when blood from European donors is used
The NHS is holding a unique blood donor recruitment event in Shepherd’s Bush on Saturday 5 April to recruit south Asian blood donors to the fight to combat health conditions affecting their community.
South Asian donors are urgently needed to treat thalassemia – an inherited blood disorder which mainly affects people of Mediterranean, south Asian, southeast Asian and Middle Eastern origin.
People living with thalassemia produce either no or too little haemoglobin, which is used by red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. Symptoms include the development of anaemia, fatigue, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeats and jaundice.
The most effective treatment for the condition is frequent blood transfusion, but using blood from people with European ancestry can lead to transfusion reactions that stall recovery, and in some very rare cases can prove fatal.
Transfusing blood from donors of the same ethnic heritage reduces the chances of negative side-effects, as the blood is a closer match to the patients’, leading to better health outcomes.
Just under one in five patients (17%) of Asian heritage can experience side effects because of inadequately matched blood – as it stands, the main source of blood for transfusions are from people with European ancestry.
To help recruit more donors, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) will hold a special event for south Asian donors at the Shepherd’s Bush blood donor centre, Westfield Shopping Centre, White City on Saturday 5 April. The event is designed to help prospective donors learn more about the blood donation process, dispel myths, and identify their blood group.
NHSBT hopes the event will help break down barriers and make the journey to becoming regular blood donors as easy as possible. Visitors to the Shepherd’s Bush blood donor centre on Saturday will be able to sample Sri Lankan food as part of a drive to make the process as pleasurable as possible.
Shepherd’s Bush Donor Centre manager Antonia Patel said: “We’re calling on West London’s south Asian community to step forward and make a lifesaving blood donation. Donating is quick and easy with each unit of blood collected having the potential to save up to three lives.
“Giving blood is quick and painless. The entire appointment takes no longer than an hour and in most case is much quicker. The actual time spent in the donation chair can be around 15 minutes.
“Donors can only give three to four times per year, so recruiting more donors is vital to securing London’s blood stocks.
“Register now and book an appointment at blood.co.uk on the GiveBloodNHS app or call 0300 123 23 23.”
