While the Olympic Games and their 15 million additional visitors are fast approaching, health stakeholders are preparing, first and foremost the French Blood Establishment (EFS). Responsible for blood drives, the organization is preparing for the summer holidays as it does every year. “Accidents and illnesses don’t take time off,” recalls Frédéric Pacoud, president of the EFS. For him, World Blood Donor Day is “an essential reminder before a delicate period”, marked this year by the holding of the Olympic Games.
“Raise the level of reserves”
“2023 was a stable year thanks to better knowledge of needs compared to other much more complex years, but 2024 is in the same trend”, warns Hervé Meinard, director of collection and production of blood products since 2019 at the EFS. He recalls that blood donations are subject to socio-economic developments of donors. Due to the Olympics, “a strong mobilization to raise the reserve level to a slightly more solid level than in other years » is necessary in order to “deal with any eventuality”. According to Frédéric Pacoud, “Massive influxes of people into hospitals may occur. We must, as producers of blood products, be able to respond to what may happen. »
For several months, the EFS has organized collections throughout the territory and more particularly in the areas which will host events. In Île-de-France, the teams planned their collections in areas not far from major events to allow donors to get there easily. The EFS has also strengthened its organization “by a greater collection capacity in other regions which will make it possible to come and help if necessary”, specifies Hervé Meinard.
A thousand additional blood bags per week are needed for the Games.
The objective is to achieve “a stock level which is greater than 105,000 blood bags in mid-July” in order to meet the estimated needs of health establishments throughout the summer vacation period. Which represents 1,000 additional bags per week. Which will involve much more sustained activity. And as Syria Laperche, the EFS infectious transfusion risks referent, points out, “we are organized and prepared”.
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