It only takes 30 minutes of your time to save up to 3 people’s lives. That’s according to the Blood Transfusion Services in the Western Cape. 

If you meet the basic criteria of being older than 16 and younger than 65, weigh more than 50kg, you are healthy on the day of donation and you lead a safe lifestyle, you should be able to donate blood.

Public relation Officer for Western Province Blood Transfusion service Michelle Ver Meulen appeals to people to visit a blood facility as soon as possible.

on their website, the (WPBT) posted the following:

There are times when even the healthiest individual shouldn’t donate:

Before heading off to the clinic, read through our list of things that might make you temporarily ineligible to donate blood. If you’re unsure of whether or not you qualify generally or on a particular day, you’re welcome to contact us for clarification or ask the Medical Sister on duty at the clinic.

The health and safety of our donors is as important as that of recipients, and so we have to make sure that you are not at risk when donating blood. We will ask you to complete a Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire each time you give blood, to ensure that you’re maintaining a healthy lifestyle and to determine your medical history.

Sources: Western Province Blood Transfusion service, Michelle Ver Meulen