CAMAGUEY.- The province overfulfills during six consecutive years its commitments of blood donations, an altruist gesture that benefits around tens of thousands of patients in the territory annually.

Only of plasma -liquid component of that fluid-, the Provincial Blood Bank has provided to the biopharmaceutical industry a thousand five hundreds liters till the end of May, for the production of the transfer factor, human albumins and gamma globulins.

Nilda Rosabal Milanes, Head of the Plasmapheresis Deparment, in the mentioned institution commented to the ACN that Camaguey is one of the most outstanding territories in that program, sustained by a detachment of 340 special donors that only provide that component in each transfusion.

The specialist added that the rest of the blood elements are reintegrated to the organism during the same donation, thanks to the modern automated plasmapheresis machines that are installed in the Provincial Blood Bank since early 2017.

Camaguey also outstands in the volunteer donations, with more than 12 thousand 700 so far, and mainly intended for the medical assistance to meet the requests of red blood cells, platelet and plasma.

In comparison with some countries where that action is paid, in Cuba it is a completely altruist and volunteer act, that it is boosted through community organizations, workplaces, universities and others.

Every June 14th, Blood Donors Worldwide Day, the people who devote themselves to this task get a wide social recognition.

This date was instituted in honor to the Austrian biologist Karl Landstainer’s birthday, who established the ABO classification system for the blood types, and the day for its celebration began in Camaguey with a massive volunteer donation in one of the health areas of this city.

Translated by Elizabeth Briñones Fonseca/ student