British Residents’ Society
Blood Donation Appeal
The following notification has just been circulated to members of the British Residents’ Society and as the need for blood donations can affect us all as potential donors or recipients, we are sharing this news for the attention of our local readers and ask you to do what you can to help keep the blood bank of Northern Cyprus supplied with ongoing donations.
“BLOOD DONOR DAY
Saturday 19th September at the Black Olive, 10.00am til 13.00pm
Dear Member
NEW SYSTEM
Please be aware that the BRS Donor coordinators have started to use an SMS system when emergency blood is required. All registered donors of the blood group needed will receive an SMS with a telephone number to call if they are available to donate. Once the required number of donors has been reached, you will get a second SMS advising you we no longer need donors.
There is a blood donor day on Saturday 19 September at the Black Olive. Starting at 10am until 1pm, we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.
For your diary, please find the dates for 2015 donor days
17 October: Girne Hospital
The blood bank is currently very low on all blood groups, it only takes half an hour to donate and it could save a life, please pass this message on to friends and encourage them to donate.
Apologies to those who have donated within the past four months o
r are outside the donor areas and have received this email, it is a general email going all to blood donors
Please note that in North Cyprus you can donate every four months. If your previous donation was less than four months ago, you will be unable to donate at this time.
The age limit for donors is now 69.
Please note that blood donations can count towards your residency blood test. As it stands currently, you need to give three times within the 12 months before your residency is due, with the last donation no more than one month before your residency is due.
Donations must be at least four months apart. If your residency is due in less than four months, but more than one month and you wish your blood donation to count as your residency blood test, do not donate on Saturday, but attend the Girne blood bank or Lefkosa hospital blood bank no more than one month prior to your residency due date and donate there, be sure to inform Lena or one of the technicians that you wish your donation to be used in lieu of your residency blood test and get them to put your donation in your donor card. You will need to collect your results from the Lefkosa state 
hospital approximately one week after donation. We are currently in negotiations to try and make this process less complicated.
You can donate at Girne hospital or the Lefkosa blood bank Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm.
Unfortunately there are no blood donor days planned for the Karpaz area in the foreseeable future. I know that many of you in the east of Cyprus are keen donors so please note that there is facility to donate blood at the new Famagusta State Hospital. Donors can drop in anytime between 9.00am and 14.00pm, Monday to Friday, 52 weeks of the year, with the donation still counting towards their Residency if required. Don’t forget to take you donor card with you
Anyone donating outside of donor days please drop me an email with the details so I can update the database.
If you have any queries, please contact the donor coordinator on call on 0533 855 5699
Please note that we now have a Facebook page: BRS Blood Donor database North Cyprus, click here and please like our page and share it with your Facebook friends. We are desperate to find new donors. Thank you”
