People applying for their driver’s licence can now register as blood donors as well as organ donors, a move expected to give a much-needed boost to blood availability in Cyprus.
The amendment to the law was presented on Friday at a press conference, while an urgent plea for blood donors of all groups to come forward was being sent out by the Blood Centre as reserves in Limassol have run out due to a spike in haemorrhages.
Edek MP Andreas Apostolou, who put forward the proposal, explained to the Cyprus Mail that so far people applying for driver’s licences could only register as organ donors.
Now, he said, they would be able to register as blood donors too, which would allow the donors to be contacted in an emergency and would secure adequate quantities for blood transfusions.
Head of the Blood Centre Andri Panayiotou told the Cyprus Mail that registering while applying for a driving licence would “certainly help” alleviate the problem.
“We will have the details and consent of the donors and we will be able to contact them over the phone or sent them an sms or email to help when we have a shortage,” Panayiotou added.
By registering while applying for a driver’s licence, people will have another chance to become volunteer donors and “it will help us find new blood donors”, she said.
Panayiotou explained that efforts to get students to register as volunteer donors were not always fruitful, as many gave false details.
Apostolou put forward the proposal in cooperation with the Blood Centre and the Cyprus Thalassaemia Association. “It was a joint effort,” Panayiotou said.
The health and transport ministers, Michael Damianos and Alexis Vafeades respectively, spoke of the importance of the amendment and the benefits it would provide.
Damianos said more people would be able to become volunteer blood donors, especially young people, without having to allocate time for registration.
This, he said, would lead to “greater awareness, enhancing available resources and most importantly saving more lives.”
Damianos said the true value of donating blood was the sense of solidarity and the common good generated.
“The involvement of the younger generation in blood donation can create a chain of service that will enhance the strength of our community,” he added.
Addressing young people, Damianos said they had the ability to make a difference with a single action, a few minutes of their time, to save lives.
“It is an action that connects our generations and enhances the sense of social responsibility,” he added.
The transport minister said the amendment incorporated the social dimension in daily procedures.
Increasing volunteer blood donation, Vafeades said, was a responsibility borne by every person and could have a direct impact on the lives of others.
“Our aim is to create the conditions and opportunities to cultivate this culture, safeguarding the self-sufficiency of our country in blood and supporting the health system in a way that will enhance social cohesion and the faith of citizens in the state,” he added.
MP Apostolou said his long-standing involvement in the movement of chronic patients had made him realise that solutions were of the essence.
“The needs in blood are very high – especially during certain months of the year – and this leads to many transfusions being postponed, which in turn causes problems in the daily lives of people and diminishes their quality of life,” he said.
Apostolou explained that it was necessary for people to have given their consent before the blood bank contacted them in an emergency.
People registering while applying for a driver’s licence “allows the blood bank to call them in an emergency.”
Apostolou expressed certainty that over the next years the blood bank would have a strong registry of volunteer donors.
