Just over 200 Jamaicans donated blood at ScotiaCentre building in downtown Kingston on Monday, the first day of the inaugural national drive being spearheaded by the Scotiabank Group.

The group has made an appeal for Jamaicans to come out to donate blood to save the lives of 20 children doing heart surgery at the Bustamante Hospital for Children and to top-up supplies at the Blood Bank which facilitates transfusions for other persons on an ongoing basis.

Scotiabank was successful in getting an actual donation of 137 units of blood from the 202 people who responded to the plea on the first day of the week-long drive.

Overcame fear

Rohan Knight, a Scotiabank employee who donated on Monday, said: "I was glad I overcame my initial fear and responded to the call. I know that this ... is a serious thing because blood cannot be manufactured, someone has to volunteer to donate and I have been lucky to have someone in my family benefit from a transfusion before to save her life. I would encourage everyone who is able to donate to make their contribution."

Scotiabank is aiming to collect 500 units of blood for the Blood Bank by Friday. The team will be setting up collection centres at Northern Caribbean University in Manchester today; tomorrow the main centre will be at the Scotiabank Santa Cruz branch in St Elizabeth and on Friday, main collection will take place at Scotiabank Liguanea branch in St Andrew.