Donor Safety

It is quite safe to donate blood with South African National Blood Service. Our personnel take the necessary safety measures to ensure that you don’t get a transmissible disease by donating blood.

We use new, sterile and disposable equipment (blood bags, tubes and finger prick needle and other needles) for each donation.

These are used only once for your blood donation, discarded in a specialised waste container and incinerated.

Further assessments include a finger prick test in order to ascertain if your haemoglobin level is within a safe range for donation purposes. In addition, your pulse rate and blood pressure will be checked.

You must also weigh at least 50kg or more, be between 16 and 65 of age and in good health.

Potential donors will be permitted to donate only if these measurements are within the defined, acceptable range.

The criterion for 65 years applies to first time and lapsed donors only.. Repeat donors may continue to donate for as long as possible provided they bring a doctor's letter every 2 years.