Steps and Requirements to donate blood in Bolivia

Donating blood is a benefit for many people who are suffering from an illness or injury that has caused blood loss, but to donate blood, a series of steps and requirements must be met.

Requirements to donate blood

To donate blood in Bolivia a person must have these:

Documents to donate blood

Donating has a very simple process and one of the requirements to donate blood in Bolivia, it is that you must have a personal identification document so that they can carry out the process of donating blood.

Steps to donate blood

how to donate blood in Bolivia.

Easy, certain steps are taken into account to find out how you are going to donate blood, it is nothing special but it is necessary to follow these steps to avoid health problems just because of donating blood.

Before donating

You must be completely healthy, you must not even have a simple flu, have had a full breakfast or lunch, you must be calm without any type of stress, if you have just come out of any medical treatment you must wait a couple of days to be able to donate blood. Remember to bring your identification document to register as a donor in the system

during donating blood

Check that all the utensils used to draw the blood are clean and new.

Stay relaxed while the blood is drawn. If you feel any discomfort, you must inform the staff immediately so that they take the necessary measures according to the case that is presented to you.

after donating blood

After having completed the process, you cannot carry weight during the day, you must eat something as a kind of snack after the donation, this snack will be provided by the personnel in charge of blood extraction, after this you can continue with your normal life.

side effects of donating blood

These side effects can happen after donating blood but it is nothing to be alarmed about:

If you feel anything outside of these symptoms, you should immediately consult your doctor and tell him that you have donated blood, since you should not feel anything outside of the symptoms mentioned above.

Who can’t donate blood?

If you have donated less than 2 months ago

Blood donations can be made every 2 months as long as we are healthy and meet all the basic requirements to do so. However, if we have already been donors for less than 2 months, we must wait for the minimum period to elapse to do so again, this is because in each extraction they withdraw 450 cc of plasma from us and our body must recover them in these weeks.

Nor can they be done more than 4 donations per year.

If you think you may have recently contracted an infection

24 hours after donating blood, it is analyzed to detect the existence of infectious diseases that prevent it from being transferred to other patients, such as HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis. However if any of these infections has been recently contracted and is in the window period, that is, the time it takes between contagion and the appearance of the virus, it cannot be detected in the analysis.

if you have had risky sex in recent months and you think you could be infected with any of these conditions, it is best to avoid donating blood for everyone’s safety, at least until you can rule it out with a blood test and at least 3 months after the suspected infection, which you are healthy

When you weigh less than 50 kilos

Donate blood if you don’t weigh at least 50 kilos is prohibited, this is because a person weighing less than that could not do without 450 cc of blood without immediately affecting their well-being. For the safety of the donor, these contributions are not allowed.

If you have a tattoo or piercing less than 4 months old

One of the biggest blood donation myths is that people who have tattoos and piercings cannot be donors. This is completely false, however it is true that if you have recently had a tattoo or piercing you must wait at least 4 months to donate, after which period the presence of any serious infectious disease that could have been detected in the blood can be detected. transmitted by the use of a contaminated needle, as is the case with hepatitis B and C or HIV.

Diseases with which you cannot donate blood

There are conditions that, if you suffer from them, you cannot become a blood donor. Those who suffer from the following diseases they will not be able to donate blood:

Additionally the pregnant women or in the lactation period will not be able to donate until the period of lactation has concluded. Those who have undergone a minor operation must wait 1 week to donate, while in the case of major surgeries it is necessary to wait 4 months.

Benefits of donating blood

Iron levels in the body are balanced

Iron is part of hemoglobin, the protein that is responsible for carrying oxygen to tissues. If the levels are low, health is in danger because this can cause anemia, and in excess it is much more dangerous, since this can lead to a heart attack.

It tells us how our health is

Donating blood helps us to check ourselves, since through this act, temperature, blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin levels are measured and controlled. In addition, you can check whether or not you have any infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B or C and syphilis.

Improves blood flow

If your lifestyle is sedentary and your diet is rich in fats and sugars, then your blood will hypercoagulate, that is, it becomes thicker and its circulation is slow. This increases the risk of having a blood clot or stroke. Donating helps your blood circulate better and therefore your blood vessels will work better.

How much blood is donated?

You can donate blood after 8 weeks have elapsed since the last donation. But a man can only donate blood 4 times a year and a woman can only donate blood 3 times a year.

Who organizes the blood donation?

Blood donation is organized by the Blood Banks and/or regional Hemotherapy Centers within the framework of the Provincial Hemotherapy Programs of the Ministries of Health of each jurisdiction. They are the ones who know the amount and types of blood components required by this population and are responsible for implementing the means to ensure their availability.

Where do you have to go to donate blood in Bolivia?

To donate blood in Bolivia you can go to the country’s blood bank, to clinics that have this service or to the operations that are being organized annually near the region where you live, you just have to be attentive to

Why donate blood?

The reason for donating blood is more than anything to help a person who is convalescing, either because they have just undergone a risky operation or because they suffered an injury which caused a lot of blood loss. Since losing blood is deadly for any living being that has blood in its body, it is important to donate blood to save the life of that person who needs it so much.

Do they pay to donate blood?

No, in Bolivia at As in Argentina, Costa Rica, Cuba, Spain, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Venezuela and Colombia, the sale and purchase of blood is prohibited, donating blood is a totally voluntary act where you only have to go to the place where you are going to donate blood.

Risks of donating blood

There are no risks just for donating blood, it is only risky if you carry out the process in an inappropriate place, where hygiene and safety regulations are not fully complied with and the personnel prepared to carry out the blood extraction do not do it, apart from these mishaps donating blood is a very simple process, given that the donation can save a life, if the donor meets the requirements to donate.

What are blood components used for?

Blood components are required in multiple situations, such as accidents, operations, organ transplants, cancer treatments, patients with severe burns, and others.

The red blood cells will go to patients with chronic anemia, acute anemia, surgeries, transplants.

The platelets will be used in patients with chemotherapy treatments. Medullary aplasia. transplants

Plasma has different components and is mainly used to obtain medicines. These products are used to treat hemophilia, coagulation problems, burns, kidney and liver diseases, and others.

The separation of blood into its components makes it possible to give each patient what they need and to optimize the units of donated whole blood.

O negative, universal donor

The universal donor is the O negative blood type. The blood is divided into different blood groups which are A, B AB and O, and these are classified as Rh negative and positive. This must be taken into account to establish compatibility when a transfusion is performed.

In this case, blood groups that belong to the Rh positive factor can only donate blood to people with this same factor and Rh negatives can donate to people of the same group as well as to positive factors. Statistics indicate that 85% of people are Rh positive and 15% are Rh negative.

Can you donate blood if you are menstruating?

No, if your flow is moderate there is no problem why NOT donate blood, most women lose less than 40 to 50 milliliters of blood in each menstruation.

Does the consumption of tobacco or alcohol interfere with the donation?

In the case of tobacco, before the donation does not influence. After this, it is recommended to wait at least two hours to avoid dizziness. The consumption of alcohol before the donation can contraindicate it, depending on when and how much has been consumed. After donating, you must wait two hours before drinking alcoholic beverages.

What is the most requested blood group?

According to the Spanish Red Cross, the most common blood groups in the Spanish population are A positive and O positive, with approximately 36 percent each. However, the most polyvalent (universal) group is the O negative, since it can be used for all blood groups in an emergency situation; it composes between 5 and 7% of the population.

Does the blood draw hurt?

It’s a minimal nuisance. Both the extraction material and the health personnel are specially trained to cause the least damage.

Can people over 65 years of age donate blood?

Yes, it is the doctor who should decide whether or not to donate based on the donor’s state of health. What cannot be done is the first donation after the age of 60.

What medications are NOT grounds for exclusion from donating blood?

Since you cannot donate blood if you are undergoing medical treatment, there are medications that do not prevent you from donating blood. These are the medicines to donate blood without any problem

Anti-smoking, slimming, contraceptives, hormone replacement, anti-cholesterol, anti-hemorrhoids, nasal decongestants, inter-articular cortisone, vitamins, supplemental minerals, bronchodilators, tranquilizers, anxiolytics, antidepressants, minor analgesics, muscle relaxants, diuretics, antiviral prophylaxis, anti-spasmodics, uricosuric agents , and laxatives.