Requirements to donate blood in Chile

There is a constant need that as human beings we join the beautiful work of giving life to our fellow men through our donations.

Since millions of people in the world need it and can only find it counting on each of our contributions, blood is important and vital for the human being. With it life is produced.

Despite scientific advances, it has not been possible to find a way to generate blood, if not through donations from voluntary people who want to save the lives of many.

Requirements to donate blood in Chile

The requirements that you must meet to be one of the donors are the following:

1. Have an identity document with your name and RUN
2. Be between the ages of 18 and 65
3. Having subsequently slept at least 5 hours
4. Weigh more than 50 kg
5. Having eaten during the last 5 hours (breakfast or lunch)
6. If you have donated, allow at least 3 months to pass if you are a man. If you are a woman you must wait at least 4 months to be a donor again.

Steps to donate blood in Chile

In order to become one of the country’s blood bank donors, you must first take these steps.

Before donating blood

Donating is a simple process, which will only take about 20 or 30 minutes. Remember that with each donation you make you can save 3 lives.

during blood donation

Their pulse, blood pressure, and temperature are measured. and a blood sample is examined to check that they do not have anemia. They are asked a series of questions about their health and the factors that may affect it, and about the countries they have visited.

after donating blood

As a preventive measure, it is necessary that the blood donor after carrying out his work as a volunteer take into account the following:

Where to go to donate blood in Chile?

In Santiago de Chile you can find many places where you can make your donations, all donors must call in advance to reserve their hours of service, several of them are located at:

1. House of the donor of the public assistance emergency hospital (Former Central Post) located in Portugal 125 located in Santiago with a schedule from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday and Holidays 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
2. Met Center De sangre located at Av. Vitacura 0115, providencia, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Holidays 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
3. Hospital Sotero de Rios From Monday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. located at Av. concha y toro 3459 puente alto.
4. Hospital Barros Lucros Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, Sundays and Holidays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
5. Father Hurtado Hospital Monday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m./ 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Esperanza 2150 San Ramón. Located at Esperanza 2150, San Ramón.
6. San jose hospital from Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is located at Av. zuñartu 1085 (above urgently) completely independent.
7. the carmen This pays attention to the public from Monday to Friday from Monday to Thursday at the following times: 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. It is located in Olympus 2314.
8. Salvador Hospital Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Av. Salvador 364 providencia.

Benefits of donating blood

On many occasions, people decide to donate blood to feel more fulfilled and to be able to help others. Despite being as simple as going to the nearest center, most of the population does not do so, and among the reasons are fear of needles or the simple fact that they had never thought about donating blood.

But being a blood donor brings great benefit to human beings as it balances the iron levels in our body.

Iron is used by the body mainly as part of hemoglobin., which is the protein that transports oxygen to the tissues, being 70% of the iron in these proteins. Both lack and excess are harmful to the body.

This consequently brings a class of benefits for the human body among them is:

Improves blood flow

We are surrounded by agents that have a harmful potential for our blood, such as tobacco, radio frequencies, stress or sugar in our diet. All of them cause our blood to hypercoagulate, otherwise it makes the blood thicker and harder to flow.

Otherwise, the blood becomes thick and sluggish, which can increase the risk of a blood clot or stroke.

It informs us of our health

Although it may not seem like it to us, donating blood serves as a little review. Our temperature and blood pressure, pulse, or hemoglobin levels are controlled. In addition, it will be checked if we suffer from infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B and C or syphilis.

Extend our years of life

Although it has more social than scientific reasons, donating blood increases our life expectancy. People who volunteer for altruistic reasons, such as helping others, tend to live longer than those who volunteer for what they get.

Those who donate blood for these reasons live an average of 4 more years. However, this depends on the context and the personality of each one, donating every year is not easy, it requires that we be mentally prepared to help others.

Those who cannot donate blood

The people who must refrain as blood donors are the following:

1. If you are fasting: We know that for most tests doctors recommend fasting, but at the time of being a blood donation volunteer, the opposite is required. The person willing to donate should have breakfast, thus reducing the risk of dizziness after the extraction.
2. If you weigh less than 50 kilos, you cannot be a donor since the bags used to store blood are 450cc, just the maximum amount that can be taken from a person weighing 50 kilos without harming their health.
3. If you’ve recently gotten tattoos and it’s been less than 4 months, no donation center will allow you to be a donation volunteer.
4. If you are under medical treatment that includes taking antibiotics, you cannot be a donor since antibiotics are used to fight certain infections.
5. If you are an HIV carrier you cannot be a donor since your blood is contaminated.
6. If you are pregnant and have just given birth or are breastfeeding, you must wait 6 months after giving birth and also after breastfeeding.

How much blood is donated?

“We donated 450 cubic centimeters of blood, a little less than half a liter, which allows us to prepare three components: red blood cells, plasma and platelets. This does not weaken the person because the amount is medically proven. of blood that an average person weighing between 65 and 70 kg can donate. This is not going to affect him at all.»

In addition, to more quickly recover the hemoglobin and iron that we give you have to eat red meat such as beef, liver, fish, also green vegetables (spinach, chard, etc.) and lentils for lunch.

The blood that is donated is a very small amount in relation to the total volume that circulates through our body. Also, since blood is something that is constantly being produced and renewed, the amount extracted, about 450 cc., is recovered after a few days.

How often can you donate blood?

Men can donate up to 4 times a year and women 3, with a minimum interval of 2 months between donations. In the donation of afaresis the intervals are smaller.

In women, this case changes a bit since women’s iron stores are reduced monthly by menstruation, therefore a man who donates four times and a woman who donates three times a year will have lost a similar amount of iron in one year.

No type of blood donation carries risks, but the health and well-being of the donor are essential to transfusion services. The needle and blood bag are sterile packed and are not reused. The instruments used during blood collection are also sterile and will never be in contact with other donors.

Becoming a blood donor

To donate blood you must meet a series of requirements. Since not everyone can do it without first complying with certain precautions between them needs.

Do they pay to donate blood?

It is not allowed for any institution or individual to make any type of payment for blood donation, donating blood is a voluntary, altruistic and disinterested act that seeks to help any patient.

Receiving money for blood is punishable by law. The person who receives money by donation and the one who pays for this act, which should be a voluntary act of any person who wishes, will be fined.