BRS Blood Donor News and

SMS Alert System

The following news has been sent to members of the British Residents’ Society and as the subject of blood donation is so important we are sharing this news with our local readers.

“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 17th October. Starting at 10am until 1pm, at Girne Hospital we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.

We will be arranging for 2016 donor days with the blood bank later in the year and will advise them as soon as possible for your diary.

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 or are outside the donor areas and have received this email, it is a general email going to all 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, please like our page click here and share it with your Facebook friends. We are desperate to find new donors.

Thank you.”