Finnish Red Cross Blood Service seeks 20,000 new donors amid shortage in Helsinki

The Finnish Red Cross Blood Service announced an ongoing need for new blood donors. This year, the goal is to recruit over 20,000 new donors, but the initiative is currently falling short, with fewer than 9,000 new donors registered by the end of June.

Blood donation sites are more prevalent in large cities compared to smaller communities, and mobile donation units, such as the Red Cross blood bus, are in operation. However, blood donation coordinator Johanna Castrén notes that it is often easier to attract donors in smaller towns than in areas like Uusimaa.

“I don’t know if it’s due to busyness or something else, but perhaps some people simply forget about the opportunity to donate blood,” Castrén said.

New donors are crucial every month, as some regular donors have to stop due to age or health issues. In the first half of the year, nearly 70,000 people registered to donate blood, resulting in over 85,000 donations. According to the Blood Service, only about three percent of eligible donors in Finland actively donate blood.