We lived in Kuwait prior to the Iraq invasion and my husband had to have an operation. He was asked if, before the operation, he could find three volunteers to give blood, of any blood group. For Kuwaitis, with their extended families, this presented no difficulty, but we were unable to supply the blood required. Nevertheless the operation proceeded.
Afterwards, whilst in hospital, my husband received many visitors and he was later told by the doctors that 18 of them had given blood, slipping off to do so during the visiting hours. He asked for their names, but was told that it was not hospital policy to reveal them. We also discovered that donors received payment and that those who protested that they didn't want it or need it were told that they could give it to the poor, thus increasing the good effect of their actions.
It seems to me that this scheme could be adopted in Britain to great advantage and at little extra cost, by having donor units operating in hospitals during visiting hours. If a scheme of payment was decided upon, there could be charity boxes in the units for those who did not wish to receive payment.
This system, if adopted, would put an end to the shortages of blood we hear so much about these days.
Joyce Sadek, 70 Sellywick Road, Selly Park, Birmingham B29 7JB (tel 021 472 7127).
Previous / Next / Table of Contents