ANCONA – «Blood self-sufficiency must be achieved day after day. The Marche region is at the top of the national rankings in terms of the donor/population ratio but there are still several critical issues regarding structures and personnel.”
This was said on World Donor Day which is celebrated today (Friday 14 June) by the regional president of Avis, Daniel Dominic Little spiders. «It is true that we have excellent numbers and excellent results, but self-sufficiency in blood and plasma is achieved every day, we absolutely cannot stop and please write this down – he reiterates once again -. We need to always have new donors and endure every critical situation. Then critical issues occur patchily across the territory. Sometimes we have problems in one province, other times in the neighboring one. The more we are, the more we are able to resolve every type of situation”, explains Doctor Ragnetti.
Everyone can donate: the important thing is to have aage between 18 and 65 years and enjoy good health. «Which doesn’t mean being tall, big and heavy as they once said – jokes the president from the Marche – but it is simply necessary not to have any particular diseases».
Then President Ragnetti provides us with some data: «In general, in the last year, we have carried out 101 thousand donations, of which 75% whole blood and 25% plasma. The first five months of 2024 – he continues – tell us that we are substantially in line with 2023. Taking into account the needs relating to 2024, we have only shifted the focus a little between whole blood and plasma. In the sense that we produced more whole blood plasma. Also because if we are more calm regarding the situation of blood entire well – he reflects – on plasma, at the moment, we are lacking».
In short, it’s there plasma deficiency. But not only in the Marche region, but throughout Italy: «20% of the necessary plasma is missing, which is therefore imported with a lower quality than ours. Many of the countries from which we are forced to draw require a paid donation, not free like ours. And this certainly involves a quality inferior to the Italian one. We – he comments – consider ourselves one of the best countries in the world from the point of view of the safety of the blood and plasma collected”. The bulk of imported plasma comes from the “United States”, says the president.
When asked which is the most virtuous Marche province, he glosses over: «We are distributed throughout the territory, there is no privileged position. Of course, the territory of Ancona is larger and has more inhabitants and will certainly produce more. On the other hand – he specifies – we cannot compare the Doric province to that of Fermo, which is much smaller. What is certain is that we we touch all the municipalities of the Marche region (over 220)».
And again: «It is the Marche that in the donor/population ratio they are in first place. Our region is at the top in Italy. And I am referring to both blood and plasma donation. This means that the solidarity of the Marche is very high. But that doesn’t mean we’re okay, because we’re not. Blood self-sufficiency must be achieved day after day, I want to say it again. Plasma collection must be encouraged. There is this need since there has been an increase in the use of plasma-derived medicines: once only blood was donated and today plasma is also used. Not only is the blood collected within the whole blood divided, but it is also donated directly with a separate bag.”
