Thursday, June 13, 2024, 2:10 p.m.
| Updated 4:09 p.m.
More than 1,120,000 citizens donated blood and plasma in Spain in 2023, of which 16.16% (181,342 people) were donors for the first time, according to data from the Ministry of Health released this Wednesday, the eve of World Donor Day. which is celebrated on June 14 under the motto ’20 years celebrating generosity: Thank you very much, blood donors!’.
The number of donations made in 2023 was 1,678,033. The average number of donations per donor corresponded to 1.5 and the average donation rate was 35.4 per 1,000 inhabitants. Autonomous communities such as Extremadura (47.9 donations per thousand inhabitants), Castilla y León (45.7) and Asturias (41.8) stand out above the average, leading a ranking that is closed by La Rioja (29.2), Balearic Islands (29.1) and Canary Islands (27.9).
«Spain has been self-sufficient in blood components intended for transfusion for three decades and an excellent level of quality and safety has been achieved. In fact, these donations allowed a total of 1,740,025 transfusions to be carried out in 2023 and more than 464,422 patients were treated,” the Ministry says in a note.
However, Spain needs to increase plasma donations to obtain medications “that are vital” for the survival of many patients. Plasma contains proteins that are needed by many patients, and for whom there is no other alternative, for example patients who have suffered major burns, hemorrhagic shock or who have undergone a liver transplant.
For this reason, Health encourages regular donors, and those citizens who are in good health, “to donate plasma, through plasmapheresis.” Plasmapheresis is a type of donation that, using single-use sterile equipment and a single puncture, separates the plasma by centrifugation, returning the rest of the blood components to the donor. It is a safe, simple technique and does not cause greater discomfort than a conventional blood donation. In addition, it has the advantage of allowing a greater frequency of donations, and can be alternated with blood donation.
The requirements to be a plasmapheresis donor are to be between 18 and 65 years old, weigh more than 50 kilos, and be in good health. Currently, Spain has 57,000 registered plasmapheresis plasma donors, and the Ministry of Health intends to increase the number to 100,000.
Donations per thousand inhabitants in the Autonomous Communities:
Andalusia 32.71
Aragon 32.27
Asturias 41.18
Balearic Islands 29.14
Canary Islands 27.89
Cantabria 37.54
Castile-La Mancha 38.69
Castile and León 45.72
Catalonia 36.02
Valencian Community 34.30
Extremadura 47.98
Galicia 38.44
La Rioja 29.21
Madrid 35.07
Murcia 31.44
Navarre 36.80
Basque Country 35.60
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