Blood Donation
Blood donation appeals are currently being broadcast on radio and television in Jamaica.
Category 5 Hurricane Melissa devastated large parts of the island on October 28, 2025. The south, west, and north were particularly hard hit. The public health infrastructure in these areas was severely compromised, creating numerous challenges and placing additional strain on the healthcare systems in unaffected regions. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that people are struggling to move around amidst the rubble of their homes and are more prone to injury during the rebuilding process. Exposed nails, torn corrugated iron, broken wooden beams, and other tripping hazards are just some of the dangers. Most people cannot afford safety shoes, let alone find them in a disaster area twice the size of the Saarland region in Germany. Unfortunately, most are left with only safety flip-flops or similar footwear.
Therefore, appeals for blood donations were broadcast everywhere on radio and television. For example, Dionne Jackson Miller on radio station RJR and in her radio show "Beyond the Headlines"—an icon of critical and journalistically sophisticated radio reporting.
"One blood," I thought to myself, and on Saturday, November 1, 2025, I went to the National Chest Hospital in Kingston to join the blood donor line. Aside from an ID card, nothing else is required. Generally, anyone who meets the general donation criteria can donate. Skin color and nationality don't matter: Out of many—one blood.
The turnout that Saturday was remarkable, and the overwhelming willingness to help, which was palpable everywhere, was truly inspiring. At the blood drive where I was, according to a staff member who has worked there for 19 years, more blood donations were collected than ever before. A colleague told me that by the end of the day, there were 200 donations. Many, many young people donated blood.
Anyone currently flying to Jamaica as a tourist: Donate blood! Please spread the word. Every donation helps three people in need. Water is life, and so is blood.
Here is a website with more information: Collection Centres - National Blood Transfusion Service