NATO Multinational Brigade Troops in Banska Bystrica Donate 108 Litres of Blood

Banska Bystrica, 5 December (TASR) - The NATO Multinational Brigade in Slovakia on Friday handed over a thank-you plaque to the staff at the Banska Bystrica blood donation centre of the National Transfusion Service for their support and cooperation when brigade members donated over 108 litres of blood between July and November, TASR reported on the same day. The main goal is to help patients who need blood, but also to demonstrate solidarity with the country in which the soldiers are deployed, said Angel Jose Espiga Gomez, commander of the brigade, which includes troops from Spain, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Romania, Portugal and Slovakia. "The blood of one soldier isn't much, but blood donated by a large number of soldiers is a clear message that those who are deployed here, who have come from far away, also support Slovak society," he told the media. The quantity of 108.3 litres from a total of 220 blood donations over the past few months is a record during the brigade's presence in Slovakia. "With average attendance at our centre, we'd get this amount in one week. The soldiers came here in stages, always around 50 of them in five or six waves," explained Roman Mukera, a doctor at the NTS blood donation centre in Banska Bystrica. The soldiers' blood, like that of other donors, will be used to help people injured in traffic accidents, patients undergoing major surgery and children suffering from serious diseases. "Blood supplies are needed in every season. Currently, in winter, our supplies of AB negative blood type are critical, so I'd like to avail myself of this opportunity to call on donors to come and donate," added Mukera. jrg/df