Every day people enter hospitals needing blood donations due to complications, illnesses, accidents or other reasons. Lately, few people are lucky enough to get donations at the moment, since by not donating, the stores are not supplied with enough blood.
If you are a person who likes to help others, do not hesitate to do good, follow the Requirements to Donate Blood at the IMSS in Mexico.
Requirements to Donate Blood in IMSS
What is needed to donate blood
The essentials to donate blood is to be over 18 years old and weigh at least 50 Kg.
In addition you must:
- generally be in good health
- Present a government-issued photo ID
- People without cough, flu, headaches or stomach aches
- Not have, or have had, epilepsy, hepatitis, syphilis, malaria, cancer, AIDS or severe heart disease
- Not having consumed alcoholic beverages in the last 48 hours
- Not having had any type of surgery in the last six months
- Not having had a tattoo, piercing or acupuncture in the last year
- Not having been vaccinated against hepatitis or rabies in the last year
- Fasting for a minimum of 4 hours.
Why is the fast 4 hours, if normally when drawing blood I can’t eat anything from the day before?
We know that to carry out different blood tests it is required that you do not eat anything from the day before. However, in this case the people in charge they need you to be completely stable so that an incident does not occur after the donation.
- RECOMMENDATION:
- Eat foods rich in iron so that you do not suffer any inconvenience.
- After donating, you must rest 15 minutes on the stretcher or place where your blood has been drawn.
- Take a small snack such as water, fruit juices and some solid food, which helps to recover the volume of the extracted blood.
Who can not donate blood?
Everyone has the right to donate, however, there are some people who should refrain for the good of both him and the patient.
- People diabetic and hypertensive who are not in good health or have no medical treatment.
- Disease Carriers: HIV, hepatitis B, C, syphilis, Chagas, HTLV or other infection that can be transmitted through blood.
- People who have suffered from hepatitis after 12 years of age.
Steps to Donate Blood in IMSS
What should I do? What is IMSS?
The IMSS is the cornerstone of the well-being of Mexican society. It is responsible for providing social security services in the country.
At the same time, it has a great responsibility to ensure that the basic objectives are met: the right to health and medical assistance, the care of the means of subsistence and the social services necessary for individual and collective well-being.
As this organization is in charge of everything that has to do with health and medical assistance, you should go to this place.
- Attend IMSS.
- Perform general medical checkup of vital signs: pulse, blood pressure, hemoglobin.
- Answer a questionnaire related to your health, in order to preserve the safety of the transfusion.
- It is very important that you answer honestly and responsibly. If you hide information or lead a promiscuous life, it is important that you exclude yourself from donating blood once you have passed the questionnaire, for the good of the patient.
- You must fill in the forms issued by each of the responsible centers and indicate that you are suitable to be a donor.
- The forms must be answered after you have undergone a series of medical tests that have yielded positive results.
Voluntary Blood Donation at IMSS
Currently, in Mexico there are many people who help, that is why approximately five thousand units of blood are donated daily.
Nevertheless, every three people out of 100 donate blood altruisticallythat is, of their own free will, since most donation cases are by replacement: when an acquaintance needs it.
The same happens in other Latin American countries, they still depend on donations from relatives or friends for supply and self-sufficiency.
That is why day by day we work to raise awareness about the importance of this type of donation: voluntary, altruistic and repeated as the safest source for patients who require a blood transfusion.
Not only are you helping someone and contributing to saving millions of lives, you are also increasing the hope and quality of life of patients with life-threatening diseases.
What does it mean for a donor to be Voluntary, Altruistic or Repeat?
A volunteer donor as its name says, is the one who decides to donate on their own.
A altruistic donoron the other hand, is a person who provides its blood or blood components, for therapeutic use of those who require itwithout the intention of benefiting anyone in particular.
Now it is said that those of repetition are the safest because they are the ones that constantlywithin the established period of time, voluntarily donate blood.
This is a habit that despite the fact that many people are scared or simply do not pay attention to it because they were never educated for such an activity, it must be done constantly and from the heart. It is something that fills you internally because you know that thanks to your help you are benefiting a person.
Well then, after I’ve given you all these reasons to do it, Are you interested in donating blood? If you do not know what the requirements are, we leave them below.
Questions and answers
There are many doubts when making the donation. We try to answer the most frequent:
Can you donate blood with tattoos?
Yes. Just remember that you have to wait 4 months after getting the tattoo before you can donate. In the case of piercings, it is also necessary to allow 4 months to elapse.
How often can blood be donated?
Men can donate every 3 months and women every 4 months.
What are the benefits of donating blood?
- You will know your blood group and Rh factor
- In case you need blood for yourself or your relatives, the IMSS will support altruistic donors.
- You will be sure that the donated blood will be used for the benefit of those who need it.
- Most importantly, the satisfaction that with your blood you will save many lives.
- Improves the health of the donor: it can help rejuvenate the body.
- Balance iron levels
- The blood flows better.
- Includes medical review.
What to eat after donating blood?
The production of red blood cells is important after donating, so you should eat foods rich in:
- Iron: Cereals, beans, red meat.
- Vitamin B6: Avocado, corn, banana, sardine.
- Folate: Asparagus, legumes and oranges.
- Vitamin B2: Almonds, chicken, egg, fish.
- REMEMBER:
For 48 hours you should be especially replenishing your hydration and blood volume by drinking fluids. Do not drink beers, coke or artificial juices. Bet on healthy drinks such as water, natural juices, smoothies.
Also, avoid training or heavy work for the next 24 hours. If you cannot avoid physical activity, then go to donate blood at the last hour to be able to do your obligations and commitments without problem. In addition, the night’s rest will help you recover without realizing it.
Up to what age can blood be donated?
Up to 65 years You can legally donate blood. However, if you are over 65 years old and feel that you have the conditions to donate blood, if you are in good health, you can go to the donation center and request information.
Does the extraction process hurt?
Don’t worry, it hardly hurts, it’s just a minor annoyance.
We know that there are people who are scared by the issue of needles, which is why health personnel are prepared to cause as little damage as possible.
The moment of donating blood is extremely short. Filling out the form, conducting the medical interview, completing the extraction process and spending a few minutes recovering usually takes approximately 20-30 minutes.
Why is it so important to be a donor?
In Mexico, altruistic people who come to donate are checked by medical personnel and their blood is analyzed under strict control measures.
- IMPORTANT:
A person can donate up to four times in a year.
It is so important to be a donor, because if all people in a position to be donors did so altruistically, there would be no need to request blood when someone gets sick or had an accident and thus blood requirements could be met more quickly and safely.
Let’s become aware and help save lives. Follow the Requirements to donate blood in Mexico.