Since Roger Bellido mentioned that he thinks the requirements are too strict here, I tbought I would bring it up for discussion. Here is a link to the requirements in Florida and, as you can see, they are much less severe. There is no age limitation other than you must be at least 16. www.oneblood.org/learn/blood-donor-basics.stml
For those that may have trouble with the link even though corrected, here are the requirements:
Step 1: Check your general donor eligibility.
If you are 16 years of age or older, you are eligible to donate (if you’re sixteen years old, you need a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian). Parental Consent Form There is no upper age limit to donate blood.
You must weigh at least 110 pounds to donate.
If you are pregnant or have been pregnant in the last six weeks, you are not eligible to donate.
If you received a tattoo at a state-licensed and regulated facility, you are now eligible to donate once the area has healed. If you received a tattoo at a non-regulated facility, you must wait 12-months before you can donate.
If you received any type of body piercing done with single use equipment, you are now eligible to donate once the area has healed. All other types of piercings require a 12-month wait before donating.
If you have had a blood transfusion in the last 12 months, you are not eligible to donate.
If you have had cancer in the last 12 months, you are not eligible to donate.
If you have visited or lived in the United Kingdom for more than three consecutive months between 1980 and 1996, you are not eligible to donate.
If you meet the above criteria, chances are that you are eligible to donate blood. However, there are other reasons why you may not be able to, including certain medicines you may be taking. We can go over all of these details the next time you come by or when you call your local blood center.
Replies
I was turned down to donate, twice, because I reported that I am allergic to penicillin. That isn't on the list, though.
me too
it is listed on the boquete donor rules
can that allergy be transferred via blood donation?
xo
s
The last time I tried to donate blood .....and it was the LAST time, due to the unrealistic requirements, and the days involved . I was DENIED due to hypertension, NOT anywhere near the limits described by Rodger. It must be an "interperpertation" of the rules and regulations. And they were adament about donating and testing were done FASTING, Unlike anything we do in the USA. Just saying. I worked in a hospital for 30 years so this is not rocket science. Just very weird and very off putting for potential donors. They told me if I traveled to the U.S. In the last 6 months I was not eligible to donate......really!
They need to refine the rules and regulations and uniformly enforce them accross the board.
It is NOT a friendly process.
Carol is correct. They do make it very difficult, and they do apply the "rules" inconsistently. A couple of years ago, when I was 68, I was called to go into Hospital Chiriqui to give blood. I reported, and they didn't even take my blood pressure, much less ask me questions or test my blood. I was put on the table, and I donated. When my husband was hospitalized at Mae Lewis a few months ago, on the other hand, four out of five people who tried to donate blood for his internal bleeding were turned down, most for the most marginal of reasons. And the testing itself took a full day. To make matters worse, many people locally with my husband's blood type had donated the week before for a patient from David and therefore were not eligible to donate again at that time. It was a nightmare.
Carol
I didn't tell you this. You Know ;-) shhhh
But if you are healthy and your blood will be analyzed, tell some white lies. Some rules are there for breaking but shhhh.
My Son in law donated blood for my wife and he reply positively to all questions asked, nobody can tell if they weren't true, to my surprised he passed
WE NEED DONORS! Until this recent crisis, we only had 15 people on the A+ list. Not many available, since we had an A+ crisis a month ago, and used more than half of those people.
If you go to the boquetehospice.org website, click the blood donation tab, and the criteria for donating blood in Panama is listed.
Yes, the Panama blood donation laws/rules are onerous. As with other rules in Panama, we can bend some, depending on the physician, others we can't. We too, get frustrated when we get 5 people to go to David, who pause their life for 5 hours to help someone else, and the lab approves only one or two.
If you would like to become a volunteer blood donor (we realize you have a life, too, and cannot always go to donate),
Please go to the Boquete Hospice site, & if you meet the criteria please call
Tamara 6632-1877, or me, Charlotte 6693-5005
Thank you for your concern! Any questions, please call!
Just so you know, I went into Mae Lewis and they took blood for analysis. They will call me tomorrow and if I pass I will go right over there and donate. Fingers crossed that they will approve! Stacey
Stacey
If you are now in the process of blood analysis you should be approved, unless you have high cholesterol levels, high sugar levels or any virus or infection like flu.
Hi Charlotte
Panama do have a Blood Bank, but half serious and half joking, it is the only one in total bankruptcy. Sometimes some clubs like Lions Club, Rotary, Kiwanis, etc do campaigns for donating blood. People don't donate blood as they used to do so many years ago. I don't know if that is because the strict rules for donors.
I try to understand why they are so strict. I guess that every patient and their family would like to receive a blood in good condition and totally screened to avoid any problem in the future. They want to be sure that the donor is totally healthy without any trace of illness or disease that could leave traces on the blood to patient that will be subject to a major surgery and that their defenses will be low and compromised.
I am sending you a link of the organization in Panama that collects information about blood donations. It is in Spanish but Patrick translated into English for you to understand. Please see some important points that probably at the end we will agree that are important even if they are so strict or onerous. Let's remember we are in a tropical area country.
I am not sure but you must investigate if there is a Blood Bank in Chiriquí. According to this web site there are at least 3 blood banks in Chiriquí. I don't know if you could donate under the name of a person and you could request that blood when needed. I have been so far from hospitals that I have very little knowledge about those procedures.
http://www.donasangre.org/requisitos-donar.html
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Requirements to Donate Blood
In principle, you can be a blood donor if you are between 18 and 65, weighing more than 50 kilos and you enjoy generally good health.
Requirements:
• Age: between 18 and 65
• Weight: more than 50 kilos
• systolic pressure (upper): not more than 180 mm Hg
• diastolic pressure (low): not more than 100 mm Hg
. Pulse: regular, between 50 and 100 beats
• hemoglobin values man.. greater than 13.5 g / dL hemoglobin values
• Women: greater than 12.5 g / dL..
• Do not donate fasting.
•Don't have traveled in the past year to malaria endemic areas (some countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia)
• Do not perform practices risk that facilitate the spread of hepatitis or AIDS.
• Not having viral infections (cold or pharyngitis) in the last seven days.
• A history of illnesses, operations or taking medications should be assessed by the head of the medical unit donation.
Considerations:
• Minimum period between donations. three months
CAN NOT DONATE BLOOD
• Prostitutes
• Drug addicts
• If you are HIV seropositive.
• If you have suffered from HEPATITIS B, HEPATITIS C
• If you had a sexual relationship with a person engaged in prostitution.
• If you have had sex with someone other than your partner and you have not used a condom.
• If you and your sexual partner have had sex with a person carrying HIV or AIDS.
• If you have had sex with a person who use drugs.
Steps to donate: .
• Going to a transfusion center, hospital blood bank or mobile unit .
• Administrative enrollment (always carry cip: Cedula de identidad personal)
• Preliminary blood tests.
• Interview with the doctor and check (blood pressure, . pulse analysis) to verify the donor's health condition .
• Blood donation
• Rest at least 10 minutes
and after donating:
• Press on the puncture site for at least five minutes.
• Rest for ten minutes.
• Eating or drink. • Increase fluid intake for 24 hours.
• No smoking until after half an hour.
• No alcohol until after lunch.
• Workers who must make great efforts or working at high altitudes must wait a minimum 12 hours before resuming their activity.
patrick
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