Supply of blood products largely stable in 2023
Published: Tuesday, Feb 27th 2024, 08:40
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Despite fluctuations, the supply of blood products remained stable in Switzerland in 2023. The number of blood donations fell slightly by 0.6%. The Swiss Transfusion SRC recorded a new record number of transplants.
There were a total of 328 blood stem cell transplants, as reported by the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) blood donation organization on Tuesday. This is 14.3 percent more than in the previous year. Of these, 199 donations came from unrelated persons and 129 from relatives. Almost all of the donations from non-relatives came from abroad.
In turn, 81 blood stem cell donations were made in Switzerland for unrelated recipients, eight fewer than in the previous year. There were 183,000 people on the register for blood stem cell donations at the end of the year. The increase of 5,000 potential donors was lower than in previous years.
The number of blood donations in 2023 fell by 0.6 percent compared to the previous year to 263,702. Blood consumption in hospitals also decreased due to more targeted use. However, the costs for the blood transfusion service increased. It had to continuously adapt the tests for blood-borne diseases, for example due to the West Nile or dengue virus.
In addition, it has reportedly become more difficult to obtain blood donations. The blood donation services have therefore increased mobile campaigns by 14 percent, while the number of donors has decreased by eleven percent over the last five years.
According to the organization, one reason for this is lower donation numbers at company campaigns due to working from home and at universities due to online lectures. Swiss Transfusion SRC is a public limited company and ensures the blood supply in Switzerland with its regional blood transfusion services.
©Keystone/SDA
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