Hospital makes urgent appeal for blood

| 20/04/2010

(CNS): The Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town is calling on donors of O negative, O positive and A positive blood to donate blood today- Tuesday 20 April. The hospital has an urgent need for these blood types and any people who can give are asked to contact the HSA as soon as possible. A health official explained that incidents resulting in hospitalization within the past 24-hours have drained the supplies of blood leaving the hospital in urgent need. Individuals who are willing and able to donate should contact blood the Blood Donor Services Department at 244-2674 or 244-2677.

 
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  1. Anonymous says:

    I feel badly for those kind donors from the UK. I myself am not and have answered emergency calls from Blood Bank at 11pm+ (usually after there has been a terrible accident).  With only 750 registered blood donors for this nation, it seems that more people of non-UK backgrounds could be serving the community as I have.  For those eligible, please give your good Health and Karma in fellowship…peace.  

  2. Ren Hoek says:

    Just do like I do, tell them you didn’t live in the UK during that time period. What are they going to do? Check? I think not.

    Tis Not I who am crazy, tis I who am maaaaaddd….

  3. ItsMeAgainJah says:

    I was wondering how this post managed to receive so many comments…

    Geesh – will you people just get over yourselves!?

    Yet Caymanians are constantly accused of having a "sense of entitlement".

    "How dare those Caribbean people roadblock I – the mighty Brit / European from donating my wonderful blood … don’t they know who I am!?"

    :o)

    Its a simple mechanism enacted to control the spread of harmful diseases around the world – and lets be honest – Britain and Europe has had more than their fair share of dangerous and fatal diseases!

    If it makes any of you feel better – did you know that African nationals are banned from donating blood in the UK?

    Now isn’t that nice? You now have something in common with your African brothers and sisters.

    :o)

    • Fickleburry Hunn says:

      Pathetic!  This was not an entitlement issue.  It is a COMMUNITY issue. 

      While you obviously have a "them" and "us" chip on your shoulder some of us don’t.  Many, many residents here want to give blood but can’t and now there is a shortage of blood – Brits, the many Caymanians who have lived for some time in the UK and many others.  I don’t want someone to suffer because of this rule imposed by US insurance companies.  Is that really an entitlement issue?  If someone else is in an accident today when there is a shortage of blood on the island how will they be treated?

      Get off your high horse.  It is people like you that contribute to making Cayman an increasingly miserable place.

      • ItsMeAgainJah says:

        I know quite a few HIV negative African individuals…will the NHS of the UK make provisions for them to donate blood to the British blood bank?

        I think not!

        We are simply dealing with principles here.

        Seems some of us want to split hairs when it suits them.

        • Limey says:

          as mentioned before, they do not accept European blood here due to the risk of CJD contamination.

          But they do accept US blood which is also at risk from CJD, after all they had their own BSE scare.

          DOuble standards over the same contamination.

          The point here is a good portion of the population living in Cayman as lived in the UK or Euro continent between the dates, whether expats or Caymaninas going to school.

          It would save many people’s time isf they put his on the notice for wanting donors. Instead of saying "ANYONE" actually let people know if they can donate before they go down to give blood.

          Simple courtesy, but I know you don’t know what that means.

           

           

    • Anonymous says:

      If they don’t want it fine. They should just stop moaning about being short of blood when they turn away tens of thousands of people, many of whom have given blood for years.

      Oh and btw, "African National"?  There is no such thing.  Africa is a continent , not a nation or a country. You sound like Sarah Palin.

    • Shaemful says:

      "did you know that African nationals are banned from donating blood in the UK?"  This is just untrue.  There are no such restrictions.  It is the perpetuation of myths like this which has led to an acute shortage of blood groups associated with Africa and Afro-Caribbean groups in the UK.

       

  4. Anonymous says:

    well i dont have it any Mooooooooooooo . oh shit.

  5. Anonymous says:

    I know I don’t have Aids – surely that would be a bigger risk!

  6. Anonymous says:

    Please, please, please let people from the UK give blood.

  7. Big Ben says:

    Like many others I am frustrated by the illogical decision to defer donors who have lived in the UK.

    Anecdotal evidence suggests that there have been "only 107 definite and probable cases of variant CJD have been diagnosed over 6 years in a population of 55 million." (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/323/7317/858#18214) which translates to having to wait nearly 62 years for a single case to show up in Cayman if all other factors remain the same (Chance of vCJD per person = (No. cases/No. Years)/Population) therefore years per case = 1/(Chance per person * population).

    Furthermore, the PanAmerican Health Organisation appears to have a much more sensible definition of those with UK connections who should be deferred as donors: "PAHO Recommendation: Individuals with diagnosis of TSE as well asthose who received extract derived from human pituitary gland, duramater or corneal grafts; those with family risk of human TSE; those with behavioral risk of vCJD; and those who received transfusions in the UK from 1980 to 1996 should be deferred as blood donors." (Eligibility for Blood Donation, 2009, http://new.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1817)

    If Dr Greg or whoever makes up the rules would like to open the floodgates of willing and altruistic donors, please drop this unneccessary and unwelcome restriction. I’d hate to have to be in need of a transfusion here in Cayman knowing that I wasn’t able to even help myself when I wanted to.

    BB

  8. Anonymous again! says:

    Ok so you are all wrong about why they don’t take British blood.   I used to give blood regularly in the UK and enquired of the blood service who turned me down because I had lived in England during the relevant exclusionary period.  When I suggested that it was bonkers (or should I say mad?!!) to exclude me when I had given blood without difficulty for many years and didn’t have mad cow disease (although have frequently been called a mad cow by my boyfriend)  I was told that the UK has a sophisticated screening system to test for the mad cow disease whereas here they did not have it so they did not want to risk giving it to people.   Makes sense huh?!  Errr no actually!  What if you visited england and got a bad bit of beef or indeed had eaten an exported beef product that was infected eg bovril. 

  9. Anonymous says:

    I suppose it all really rather depends what you mean by "urgent". 

    There have been 170 cases of CJD reported in the UK (pop.60,000,000) in the last 15 years.  I imagine that if I were seconds away from exsanguinating in the emergency room at George Town Hospital and somebody offered me blood with those kind of odds of killing me in perhaps 30 years time, I might define "urgent" differently to the Blood Donor Services department.

    • Anonymous says:

      I imagine if you were exsanguinating in A&E at GT hospital and someone who has lived in Europe for 5 years (or UK for 3 months 1980 – 96) kindly offered you some of their blood to save your life the hospital will unfortunately step in to stop such a donation – because of US medical insurance rules. So RIP Anonymous, we did try to save you but surely you know the US insurers will always win. Always.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Its not only ‘bad blood’ from British nationals, pretty much all Europeans are turned down for living in Europe during the 90’s. I tried twice to follow the request for blood donations but was turned down due to the fact being born in Germany and living there in the 80’s & 90’s. The regulations used by the CI Hospital are based on US standards, maybe those need reconsidering… I’d be happy to help, having been a blood & plasma donor in Germany for several years prior to moving to Cayman.

  11. Anonymous says:

    I used to be a regular donor until the Mad Cow disease outbreak when the HSA decided not to accept blood from anyone who might have been potentially contaminated. So if you lived in the UK in the 1990’s or early 2000’s forget it.

    Seems a bit of an unnecessary restriction thou, given the time that has passed since then. Especially now when blood is so urgently needed.

  12. what a mess says:

     Do you all read properly????

    The article clearly states that ANYONE can come and give blood. 

    Stop all the nonsense. In fact if you don’t want to give blood then why are you commenting and why are wasting precious time bickering over such silliness. For all we know, people could be dying right now because they are in need of blood. If you can help, do so, if not then keep stepping.

    Sick and tired of the nonsense.

    • Limey says:

      Actually ANYONE can’t give blood, so it’s no point Brits or most Europeans down there as they will be turned a way, so wasting your own time.

      That is the point the article says ANYONE, but that is not correct

      Which is probably a good reason that they are so low on blood right now.

    • Anonymous says:

      Someone kicked you out of the wrong side of the bed this morning

    • Anon says:

      The fact is that a lot of folks that would give presently cannot due to the Blood Bank rules. So it is not ANYONE. I have tried numberous times and been turned down, even when they have a shortage. So my healthy blood cannot help those in need.

    • Canada Hockey! says:

      Just went to the hospital and the official word is that they will not accept blood from anyone who lived in the UK between 1980 and 1996. They also wanted to mention that those with high blood pressure must be tested first to check suitability. They are specifically looking for type O (negative or positive) and type A positive – if you don’t know your blood type they will test you.

      They are expected to be open until 5pm or possibly later (the blood bank is on the 2nd floor at HSA) and no appointment is necessary, they are in urgent need of blood and are therefore expediting the process. You can call 244 2674 to check if they are still open if you are going after work hours.

      Be safe Cayman.

    • Anonymous says:

      Have just spoken to the hospital actually and they confirmed that British nationals are unable to donate blood if they lived in the UK at anytime between 1980-1996.
       

    • Anonymous says:

      OBVIOUSLY you have not got a clue about this as the posters are right they do not take blood from persons who have lived in the UK/Europe around a certain time period. It is on the declaration forms that you have to fill out. Get your facts before you waste time writing nonsense and riling people up. From the sound of it you might have a touch of the MAD COW DISEASE

  13. Anon says:

    The blood bank really needs to get over the mad cow issue. I was a student in England in the early 1980’s and became a blood doner. On my return home I continued as a doner for 5 years. Then when the mad cow issue arose I, along with many others, were banned. That was 20 years ago. Apparently this is because the blood bank follow the US rules. Interesting that those rules did not change when mad cow desease was found in the US.

  14. Anonymous says:

    They don’t accept UK blood in the States either.  At least for major organizations like the red cross.

  15. Roger says:

    British blood is bad blood.  Apparently Mother England can use nanotechnology to control the recipients of blood after the host has had the nanobots inserted through laced shepherd’s pie.

    • Anonymous says:

      An appeal for blood is not a reason to turn this into a race argument!!

  16. Anonymous says:

    Are they accepting blood from British Nationals yet?

  17. Anonymous says:

    Unless you are from the UK…..in which case your blood is not welcome…

    • Regulations says:

      Why must you phrase it in such a manner? Many countries have regulations in place to protect people from  Mad Cow disease when it comes to blood donations. Remember, in most cases Mad Cow can lie dormant in the brain for up to 15 years!

      I had a close family friend who died as a result of this disease. It is a horrible illness to have.

      So, please don’t view your donation as being unwelcomed, it is just a matter of safety.

      • Limey says:

         

        Actually the US had Madcows desease also, but the blood bank accepts their blood so our blood must simply be unwelcome as that must rule out the safety part.

        Also your close family member would have died from CJD, the prion is not named as Madcow’s desease in humans for fairly obvious reasons

  18. Limey says:

    As they always leave this out.

    If you are from the UK or lived in the UK on the 1990’s don’t bother turning up to give blood as they won’t take it.

    Save yourself a trip