The Balearic Blood Bank is looking for O negative blood type donors

However, the Blood Bank have warned, O negative donors can only receive blood from their own group and it is estimated that only one in ten people have it, hence the need to recruit these potential donors.

The campaign, explained the Conselleria de Salud y Consumo in a press release, is inspired by the stories of secret agents, to highlight the “challenge” for society to find new caring people, “diamonds in the rough, to join the common mission of saving lives.”

Thus, mythical movies and cartoons such as the Pink Panther, James Bond, Mission Impossible and Super Agent 86 are the famous personalities of the ‘License to Save Lives’ campaign.

The ‘mission’ is to find hidden heroes with very special characteristics: healthy, supportive, courageous, generous and committed.

“Whoever has these qualities can be licensed to save lives and be an agent that ensures that those in the Balearic Islands who suffer from diseases or require treatments such as transfusions are cared for in the best way,” they point out in the note.

During 2022, patients on the islands have needed more blood donations and especially valuable are those of group O negative, which is very scarce in the population and vital in emergency situations, they have recalled.

The O negative group has characteristics that make it suitable for any patient. On the contrary, people of this group can only receive blood of the same blood group, meaning that they are universal donors and exclusive recipients.

Barely one in ten people is O negative, specifically 7% of the population, and as the blood group is inherited, if a zero negative is found there will be more in their family environment.

Taking stock, in 2022 an average of 68 weekly donations of this group has been achieved, when to guarantee the best care for the growing demand it would be necessary to have 95 weekly donations throughout the year.

The Blood Bank’s promotional campaign is based on the ability of each person to become a ‘special agent’ with a ‘license to save lives’ by donating or helping to find other donors.

This campaign will last throughout 2023 and will be promoted in all public activities and events organized by the Blood Bank.

Blood Bank donations are sustained in 2022

Last year, the Balearic Blood Bank organized 1,264 blood donation campaigns in 138 different locations across the Islands. 21,256 people were inspired to donate, or 1.8% of the Balearic population. Of these, 2,060 donated blood for the first time.

As they added, thanks to citizen solidarity, the Balearic Islands was self-sufficient for the fourteenth consecutive year.

Specifically, of the 44,567 offers received (3.8% more than in the previous year), 37,403 blood donations were obtained (including 3,353 donations by apheresis), which represents a decrease of 1.3% compared to the previous year.

For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.