How to give blood in Mexico

 

Early Friday morning our son Chris received a call from a work colleague, Eliseo, a physiotherapist at Pasitos de Luz who specializes in helping blind children (he was born without sight). Eliseo’s son recently had an operation in an IMSS (Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social) public hospital in Guadalajara. In Puerto Vallarta, where Eliseo lives, the hospitals offer a limited range of procedures, so anything not available there is provided in the state capital, 329 km away.

 

Eliseo explained to Chris that anybody who has an operation in an IMSS hospital is obliged to replace the blood used during the procedure. However, no appointments were available in Puerto Vallarta, so Eliseo asked Chris if he could go to the brand-new hospital just outside San Vicente, where Chris lives, to make an appointment for two blood-donor friends. As in so many cases, although almost all Mexicans carry mobile phones, transactions like making a blood donation appointment are done in person (and therefore in a queue and after a wait). The blood given by Eliseo's friends will be sent to the hospital in Guadalajara where his son had his operation.

 

Chris reports that the new hospital is clean and well equipped, and the staff helpful. The lady behind him in the queue was making appointments for twelve friends to give blood on behalf of her husband who is in his sixties.

 

There is a logic to this system: the state saves the cost of a nationwide blood donation service, such as our NHS Blood Donation service. And friends and family give blood in support of the patient. I wonder where I would find twelve blood donors.