INESC TEC calls for blood donation

The severe situation that the country is facing caused a sharp drop in national blood reserves, which are practically depleted – mainly concerning blood types O-, B- and A +.

In this sense, INESC TEC urges all those who meet the required conditions to make a blood donation.

The Portuguese Institute of Blood and Transplantation (IPST) is carrying out donation campaigns, which you can check here. In Porto, for instance, the facilities are open Monday to Saturday, from 8 AM to 7:30 PM.

Due to the current limitations in terms of free movement of people, adopted during the State of Emergency, the IPST will provide a declaration for free movement to all those who wish to donate blood. The document is available here.

The infographics present the conditions necessary for someone to be a blood donor. The blood donation process comprehends four stages:

1) signing up and filling a form; 2) medical appointment to assess the current status, and evaluate the possibility of donating blood; 3) after the donation, IPST will provide a free meal and 4) the donor will receive the national donor’s card.

According to the current pandemic context, the IPST adopted the following preventive measures:

1. Reading of the body temperature of all people who access the blood collection area (donors who haven’t signed up, staff, officials, etc.), using contactless thermometers.
2. Availability of alcohol-based solutions in several areas.
3. Mandatory use of masks, which always has been a common procedure during blood collection procedures.
4. Mandatory social distancing (with the exception of medical procedures that require close interaction between patients and professionals: reading blood pressure, haemoglobin tests, etc.).
5. Individual disinfection of all non-disposable items (chairs, bands, etc.).
6. Inclusion of COVID-19 related questions in the form.

For more information, please visit the official website of the IPST: http://www.dador.pt/

All help is welcome at this point!

When donating, people can also show their willingness to participate in a bone marrow donation. The necessary conditions are: 1) weigh > 50 kg; 2) age between 18 and 45; 3) be healthy.

IPST professionals are available to answer any questions you may have about any of these actions.These and other initiatives are part of INESC TEC’s Social Responsibility mission. During the month of January, several groups of INESC TEC’s researchers have promoted solidarity campaigns to support other institutions.

Researchers from INESC TEC’s High-Assurance Software Laboratory (HASLab) agreed to provide 100 cakes to the institution Virar a Página. This institution, established in Braga – similarly to the majority of HASLab researchers – provides support to families with many difficulties. Virar a Página started with a group of volunteers working at the cafeteria of Colégio Luso-Internacional de Braga (CLIB), until it became independent, now focusing on helping “those who need to turn a page”.

Researchers at INESC TEC’s Centre for Industrial Engineering and Management (CEGI) also decided to provide financial support to an institution, Associação Cais – dedicated to the social integration of people in a situation of poverty and/or social exclusion. This non-profit, social solidarity association, established in 1994, has centres in Porto and Lisbon.

We would like to ask all those who can contribute to do so, in order to make a difference in the lives of many people. We are going through tough times, and any gesture can make a huge difference.

Moreover, and to those who can, we urge you to stay at home!