the essential
Plasma donation remains little known among the general public, even though the needs are constantly increasing. This week, the EFS thanked major donors.
By meeting this week in the premises of the CGR Cinema in Montauban, they proudly illustrated the journey that a bag of blood can take. Thursday evening, the French Blood Establishment (EFS) of Occitanie organized an exceptional evening intended to promote the donation of plasma, which is essential and indispensable in the manufacture of derived medicines, which make it possible to treat more than 500,000 patients each year. for whom this treatment is vital. If it is still necessary to mobilize different audiences, especially young people, around this essential cause, it is in a logic of thanks that this moment was orchestrated with enthusiasm.
“We wanted to thank the donors for their involvement, but also to raise awareness of plasma issues for future years,” explains Christine Pouligny, head of the Montauban Donation Center and responsible for samples from the Quercy Basin. It is therefore not surprising to note the great popularity of this warm moment: “The aim of this evening is to raise awareness among our partner associations, our major donors as well as the general public of the health sovereignty issues represented by medicines derived from plasma” , underlines Déborah Iragne, responsible for promoting donations in the Quercy Basin.
121 donations for a single person
A dozen major plasma donors were rewarded, ranging from 22 donations to 121 donations for the largest donor, with the strength of around thirty volunteers from the department’s blood donor associations.
The French blood establishment needs blood constantly to replenish perishable stocks and save lives. For this, donors are needed continuously. The guests were able to discover the screening of the film Immunity, from the Iris association, which works for patients suffering from primary immunodeficiency, in the presence of director Sara Grimaldi who answered all the questions. Then a diploma ceremony made it possible to promote major plasma donors: “We remain faithful to our ethical values despite growing demand, it should be emphasized that plasma donation is carried out under strict conditions which respect the safety of recipients as well as donors, and we need to increase capacity,” explains Déborah Iragne.
If the donation is based on volunteerism and solidarity between donors and patients, the technique allows only the plasma to be collected and the red blood cells and platelets to be returned to the donor. In search of plasma donors, the EFS reminded at the end of the evening that donating blood saves lives. The evening ended with sharing an aperitif dinner.
