This year Adeje is the official HQ for the annual blood drive, as nominated by the Canarian Hemotherapy Institute (ICHH), and has been launching a series of campaigns to encourage the local population to donate blood if and when they can. The first of these campaigns was launched this week by health councillor Amada Trujillo Bencomo.
Blood donations are taking place in the Civic Protection building in Adeje in Fañabe, and among the first donors were members of the different security forces, including local police, Guardia Civil, volunteer fire fighters, taxi drivers, and civic protection staff and volunteers.
According to the councillors, “this is an act of solidarity, and the overall aim of this and subsequent campaigns is to build up the reserves in the blood bank to ensure our health centres and hospitals have what they need and we have a sustainable public health system”.
Trujillo Bencomo, who is herself a doctor, says, “Blood it the key element in any health system, and despite all the technological advances it is still only available through a voluntary system of donation and the willingness of the public to donate”.
The overall theme of the campaign is (translated) ‘become part of the red energy’ and at the launch, joining the health councillor, were Mercedes Vargas Delgado, councillor for community welfare, Esther Rivero Vargas, councillor for mobility and works and services, María Elsa Brito Cruz from the ICHH, Inmaculada Concepción García Herrera, IHCC promotions, as well as José Tomas Estévez, local police commissioner, Antonio Jesús Herzog Aguilar, Adeje Guardia Civil commandant, Carlos Barrera, head of the volunteer fire brigade, and Juan Agustín Trujillo Álvarez and Inmaculada Casandra Alayón Pérez, from the Adeje taxi co-operative.
