Over 15,000 donours registered with National Blood Bank – director

…says 83% of donors give blood at least twice per year

As more Guyanese become aware of the life-saving impact of voluntary blood donation, the National Blood Bank has seen a significant increase in donor registration, with over 15,000 individuals now listed in its national database. Notably, 83 per cent of these registered donors give blood at least twice a year.
Director of the National Blood Bank and the National Blood Transfusion Services, Dr Pedro Lewis, revealed the figures during a recent interview, as he discussed the agency’s continued push to promote voluntary blood donation across the country.

Dr Lewis over the weekend said that increasing voluntary participation is a key objective for the organisation, as it ensures a more reliable and safe blood supply. He emphasised that sustained public education and community outreach are central to encouraging regular, life-saving donations from citizens.
“We promote voluntary blood donation which simply means that a person who comes in must not have a relative in the hospital that they’re donating for. We want them to come in and donate, because probably it’s their birthday, and they feel like giving blood, feel like saving three lives. This is the reason why we educate persons, and we promote voluntary blood donation, so that blood could always be here.”
In this regard, the director emphasised that the organisation’s donor database has grown significantly, now boasting more than 15,000 registered blood donors from across the country. This milestone reflects the success of ongoing efforts to encourage voluntary blood donation and build a reliable pool of donors to meet the nation’s medical needs.
“We encourage persons who never donated before, that’s the day to start donating, and I must give thanks. I mean, we have so many donors in our system, more than 15,000 donors. You know, most of them probably might be donated once, but we have regular donors who comes here every two months, you know, most importantly, the voluntary donors.”
He said that this milestone reflects a growing culture of altruism and civic responsibility, as citizens from all walks of life step forward to help save lives. In fact, the director highlighted that an impressive 83 per cent of registered blood donors give blood at least twice a year, demonstrating a strong commitment to supporting the country’s healthcare needs through regular donations.
“You know that our percentage is 100 per cent voluntary donation pool that we have and 83 per cent of those donors comes in to the blood bank not here centrally but regionally also, and they donate at least twice a year, and this is remarkable. It’s probably one of the best data when it comes to donation, Ghana probably have one of the best data as it related to repetitive donors, person come twice, and, you know, because, you know, they consider themselves special.”
The National Blood Bank of Guyana plays a crucial role in the country’s healthcare system by ensuring a safe and adequate supply of blood and blood products for medical treatments across Guyana. Established to meet the growing demand for blood transfusions in hospitals and clinics, the Blood Bank operates under the Health Ministry.
The Blood Bank is responsible for the collection, testing, processing, storage, and distribution of blood. It adheres to strict safety and quality protocols to minimise the risk of transfusion-transmissible infections such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis. To ensure a reliable blood supply, the National Blood Bank promotes voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation through public awareness campaigns and donor recruitment drives. Located in Georgetown, the facility works closely with regional health facilities to facilitate timely access to blood products, which are essential in emergency cases such as surgeries, trauma care, maternal health complications, and treatment of chronic illnesses like anemia and sickle cell disease.