By ALENA HIGGINS
GENEROUS blood donors living on the Southern Downs will now have to travel to Toowoomba to donate their life-saving reserves after the Red Cross Blood Service announced it would cease mobile visits to Warwick and Stanthorpe.
The surprise move was sparked following a trial of extended opening hours at the Toowoomba Donor Centre, which saw an 11 per cent spike in plasma collections since the trial period began in September last year.
State donor services manager Melanie Thompson said the Blood Service was so impressed by the results of the temporary measure that it would now make the extended hours permanent.
“This means that Toowoomba staff will no longer visit surrounding towns, as the equipment used for mobile visits is not capable of collecting plasma or platelets,” Ms Thompson said.
“We would like to thank those who have given generously at our mobile locations in the past, and reassure them that this decision will only serve to help keep our blood supply more stable, which is great news for the one in three Australians who will need donated blood in their lifetime.”
However, the news has dissapointed local blood donors such as Warwick’s Symone Jones.
“You think you are doing something good and they always say they need blood,” the regular blood donor told the Free Times.
Ms Jones said she would unlikely travel the 80-plus kilometers to Toowoomba to donate in the future.
“I used to be able to pop over on my lunch break and donate, and it doesn’t seem manageable (to travel to Toowoomba) as you are not supposed to drive long distances after giving blood, Ms Jones said”
Ms Thompson said the mobile service was limited to collecting whole blood donations, which did not suit the current demand for blood products.
“Australia is currently experiencing a decline in demand for red cell units,” she said.
“At the same time, we are seeing exponential growth in demand for plasma-based products.
“Plasma can be used to make 18 lifesaving products and one of those is IVIg, used by patients with immune and blood disorders, which is growing in use by 11 per cent annually.”
Ms Thompson said there were no plans to open a permanent donor centre in the Southern Downs, though she did not rule out reactivating the mobile service if red cell units dropped.
Since increasing appointments during the week and opening every Saturday, the number of plasma donors at Toowoomba Donor Centre has increased from 930 to 1037.
