[News Boquete] Requirements for Blood Donation in Chiriqui

The following is a complete list of the requirements and procedures for blood donors:

 

Part 1: How to donate

1. Arrive to the blood bank or blood donation site in good health, well-rested, hydrated and not fasting. Smoking should be avoided at least 1 hour before and drinking alcohol at least 48 hours. You can have a light breakfast, avoiding foods rich in sugar and fats.
2. The potential donor will be handed a form to fill in with their personal information and their consent to donate. They will be asked a few questions about general health and will receive an orientation about the donation process.
3. A blood sample will be drawn to for an initial blood test that checks for infection ( elevated white blood cell count) hemoglobin, hematocrit (for anemia) and platelets (for clotting). If the levels meet the requirements,  a brief interview will be done before making the donation.
4. The donor will be guided to a seat and the blood will be drawn (the pinch is slightly stronger than the one for blood sampling). This takes 15 minutes and extracts 500 ml of blood. After the process the donor will be asked to rest around 10 minutes before standing up (you will definitely want to do this. Some feel dizziness or light-headed.) and a light snack will be given to recover the body.
5. Keep well hydrated during the rest of the day as it helps the blood levels to recover faster. Avoid prolonged sun exposure, intense exercising and lifting heavy objects. 

 

Part 2: Requirements

1. Age: between 18 and 65 years old

2. Weight over 110 lb (50 kg)

3. Men can donate about every 3 months, and women every 4 months.

4. Present your cédula, passport (should appear that you have been in the country for at least 6 months) or resident ID.

5. If you have hypertension, check your pressure and take your medication at least 2 hours before the process. If on antibiotics, the treatment should have been completed at least 48-72 hours before.

Part 3: Who cannot donate?

1. People with infectious diseases: HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis, influenza, dengue, malaria, Zika virus, yellow fever, etc.
2. If you have been treated or vaccinated for any of the above in the past year.
3. People with risky sexual conduct (multiple partners) and drug abuse
4. Systemic diseases such as hemophilia, cancer, malign tumors, epilepsy, etc.
5. If you have had tattoos, piercings or acupuncture done in the last 6 months.
6. If you are pregnant or gave birth in the last 6 months and are lactating

 

___________________________________________________________________
The above message was distributed by News Boquete, a free subscription-based community service.
News Boquete's ONLY public email address is news.boquete@gmail.com.
For more info and use policy, visit https://www.dropbox.com/s/24y1vz2vae9iaen/News_Boquete_Policy.pdf?dl=0.

If replying to this message, reply ONLY to the ORIGINATOR (typically your email application's 'Reply To' function works).

To stop receiving these emails, send a message to news.boquete@gmail.com with the word unsubscribe in the subject line or body of the message.

© 2005-2019, News Boquete. All rights reserved. Public redistribution strictly prohibited without prior written permission.