Your Questions Answered
Q: How does the WCBS therapeutic phlebotomy programme work?
The WCBS therapeutic phlebotomy programme is a well-established service that has been operating for many years and has assisted thousands of people who are required to donate blood for the management of specific medical conditions.
The advantages of using this service include:
- Our therapeutic service is offered at all of our fixed and mobile donation sites making it convenient for patients to access.
- WCBS is able to assist patients at intervals prescribed by their referring clinician, with eight phlebotomies permissible per prescription.
- Highly skilled and experienced staff are available at the donation venues to assist patients with managing anxiety surrounding blood donation, providing them with refreshments and occasional donation gifts.
- Therapeutic donors are charged for their first donation as their unit is discarded as per international guidelines, but provided their blood is suitable for transfusion purposes, they are not charged thereafter. People who do not meet the standard criteria for blood donation (e.g. they use teratogenic drugs) are charged for donation as their blood is discarded.
Please note that frail or ill patients should not be bled at WCBS facilities but rather venesected in hospital settings in the event of collapse. The referring doctor remains ultimately responsible for the management of their patient and renewal of their bleeding interval prescription.
For more information about WCBS therapeutic phlebotomy, contact the Specialised Donations team (phlebotomy@wcbs.org.za).
