One donation can be separated into several components (red blood cells, platelets and plasma) each of which are used to treat different types of patients, for example, accident and burns victims, patients undergoing surgery, adults and children suffering leukaemia, and transplant patients.
Official website of New Zealand Blood Service
0800 448 325 | 0800 GIVE BLOOD
Directed donations
Direct donations are when blood is donated from relatives or friends for transfusion to a certain patient. NZBS does not support the practice of directed donations. NZBS will discourage requests to provide directed blood components for patients on the basis that there is no evidence that such components lead to improved patient care nor that they reduce the risk of acquiring transfusion associated infections.
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