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Blood donations save lives: Health Minister thanks committed donors!
On July 15, 2025, Health Minister Diana Stolz recognized the vital role of blood donors in Wiesbaden.
Blood donations save lives: Health Minister thanks committed donors!
When it comes to saving lives, there is little better than donating blood. Thanks to numerous committed donors, Health Minister Diana Stolz was able to point out the immense importance of this altruistic act at an award in Wiesbaden. In her speech, she emphasized that blood donors not only do good, but also take responsibility for society. “Blood donations save lives, especially in emergencies such as accidents or serious illnesses,” says Stolz. In today's hectic world, it is common that the availability of blood supplies is often limited, which can significantly impact the healthcare system's operations. As Mittelhessen reports, efforts to motivate people to donate blood are of utmost importance for all sides.
What does it take to donate blood? According to Sabine Böhme, regional representative of the DRK blood donation service in Saarland, there are clear requirements. Donors must be at least 18 years old, weigh over 50 kilograms and be in generally good health. Before each donation, important values such as hemoglobin, body temperature and blood pressure are checked. To ensure that blood donation is safe for everyone involved, there are exclusion criteria, for example for pregnant women or people with serious chronic illnesses. DRK Mittelstadt also presents this information in an understandable way.
The reality of blood donations in Germany
In Germany, the daily need for blood donations is around 15,000. Shocking but true: Only about 3% of the population donates blood, as can be read on blutspende.de. In addition, the shelf life of the blood preparations is only a few days, which increases the urgency. In 2022, around 3.2 million erythrocyte concentrates and 484,000 platelet concentrates were consumed in Germany. It is important to emphasize that 20% of these preparations are used for the treatment of tumor diseases. That's why every single donation is invaluable.
Current trends show that demand rises sharply in the summer months, while offers fall dramatically during holidays and on weekends. This is already leading to critical shortages of blood supplies in some regions. There is great concern that a lack of knowledge about the importance of blood donation is contributing to the low number of donors. Education and personal reports are needed here to make more people aware of this important topic.
The next blood donation dates are a good starting point for anyone who wants to help. Even though the time commitment, according to Stolz, is very small compared to what comes out of it in the end, the impact of a single donation could be enormous. A call for more commitment is needed: “We thank all blood donors for their commitment and hope that many more people will dare to put themselves in the service of the general public,” said the minister at the end of her speech.