Platelet donors honored as demand ever present

People are being urged to donate platelets, which only have a five-day storage life, and are needed for patients with blood diseases, cancer and for after major surgeries.

Health authorities have been collecting platelets since 2002, and donations keep increasing as people become more aware of the need and because of wider public education, said officials from Shanghai Blood Center on Saturday.

The announcement was made at an event honoring individuals who have donated many times.

Shanghai collected 92,009 units of platelets last year, rising by 19.9 percent on 2022.

The Shanghai Blood Center collected 80,820 units, rising by 69.4 percent than the previous year.

Both the total volume and the blood center's collection set new records.

According to Chinese regulations, platelet donors should be 18 to 55 years old with a weight of more than 50 kilograms. The interval between two platelet donations is at least 14 days, while a person should wait for at least three months to donate platelets if the previous donation is whole blood.

Donors should take their valid identity document such as an identity card or passport.

To encourage more people to donate platelets, the Shanghai Blood Center has introduced various measures and gone to communities, universities, companies and plants to promote the importance of platelet to patients and the great meaning of platelet donation.

Blood can't be produced and its only source is from healthy people's donation. Health officials said Shanghai always has a strong demand for platelets due to its large clinical service volume and big surgery quantity. Only donations can help meet clinical demand and save patients' life.

People who are interested in platelet donation can visit the WeChat Account of Shanghai Blood Center to check nearby donation sites and platelet donation reservation.

Expatriates can go to the Shanghai Blood Center or nearby blood collection sites with their passport for donations. A bilingual consultation and reservation hotline is under construction, officials from the Shanghai Blood Center said.