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Madrid issues an urgent appeal: six blood groups are on red alert
The Community of Madrid has issued an urgent appeal for blood donations following a particularly worrying drop in reserves. They are currently at 38% of the level considered optimal, and six blood groups —0+, 0-, A+, A-, B- and AB-— are on red alert.
Available stock has fallen to 1,913 bags, whereas the Transfusion Centre considers around 5,000 necessary to maintain adequate reserves. The decline coincides with the usual drop in donations during the summer holidays, worsened this August by successive heatwaves.
Madrid needs around 900 donations every day to supply the 70 hospitals in the region. Blood is used continuously in operations, transplants, treatments, transfusions and emergencies caused by accidents, haemorrhages or burns, so hospital demand does not fall at the same rate as summer donations.
The situation is especially delicate because blood cannot be manufactured or replaced with another product. Moreover, its components have a limited shelf life, so it is not enough to accumulate large quantities at certain times of the year: donations must be maintained regularly.
Those who wish to help have numerous options across the region. There are 30 hospitals with permanent donation points, in addition to the mobile units of the Community of Madrid and the Red Cross. In the capital, people can also go to the Valdebernardo Transfusion Centre and the Red Cross room at 3 Juan Montalvo Street.
The Transfusion Centre, located on Avenida de la Democracia, is open Monday to Saturday from 08:30 to 21:30 and Sundays from 08:30 to 14:00. Hospitals’ summer hours vary, so it is advisable to check the chosen point before travelling.
The lack of reserves does not mean that hospitals have stopped treating patients, but it reduces the margin available to respond normally if the situation continues. Restoring that buffer now depends on maintaining a constant flow of donors during days when holidays, travel and high temperatures mean that far fewer people go to the usual points.
With only 1,913 bags available compared with the 5,000 considered optimal, a visit of a few minutes to a donation point takes on an importance that is barely visible in the city’s daily routine these days. While Madrid slows down in August, its hospitals continue to need blood every day.