Ottawa – Every day, health care providers need blood and blood products to care for patients undergoing surgery or cancer treatments, and following traumas such as motor vehicle accidents. Patients continue to depend on these lifesaving donations.
Canada has one of the safest blood systems in the world, thanks to the strict standards set out in Health Canada’s:
- Blood Regulations
- Food and Drugs Act
Both blood and plasma products are vital to the health and well-being of the public.
You can book an appointment to donate blood in Canada in several ways:
If you live in Canada (outside of Quebec):
Book an appointment
Call 1-888-2-DONATE
(1-888-236-6283)
Book an appointment online at Canadian Blood Services
Download the GiveBlood App from the Canadian Blood Services website
If you live in Quebec:
To book an appointment
Call 1-888-666-HEMA
(1-888-666-4362)
Book an appointment online at Héma-Québec
The need for donations
In Canada, 52% of people say they have, or a family member has, needed blood or blood products at some point in their lives. There is a constant demand for blood and blood products such as:
- platelets
- blood plasma
- red blood cells
It takes many donors to save a patient’s life. For example, it takes up to:
- 5 donors to save someone who needs heart surgery
- 50 donors to help save just 1 person seriously hurt in a car crash
- 8 donors a week to help someone going through treatment for leukemia
Plasma’s main applications are to be:
- transfused directly into patients in hospitals
- manufactured into specialized medicines, such as:
- albumin
- immunoglobulins
- coagulating factors
Plasma donations are needed, especially to make these medicines. There is a global shortage of immunoglobulins. A growing number of people in Canada rely on them, with about half of these patients needing treatment for life-threatening conditions. Some eligibility requirements for plasma donation differ from whole blood donation. Some people who have not been able to donate blood may be able to donate plasma.