1
00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,480
Speaker 1: We know that tattooed Australians can now donate blood just

2
00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:06,200
Speaker 1: a week after getting fresh ink and can also give

3
00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:11,240
Speaker 1: plasma immediately following changes announced today. The move is set

4
00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:15,080
Speaker 1: to lead to an extra ten thousand donations each year.

5
00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:17,960
Speaker 1: And joining us on the line to talk through those

6
00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:24,440
Speaker 1: changes it is Australian Red Cross Lifeblood INTI spokesperson Belinda Snitcherk.

7
00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:28,600
Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Belinda, Good morning, Thanks so very

8
00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,200
Speaker 1: much for your time today. Belinda, firstly, talk us through

9
00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:33,440
Speaker 1: what these changes are.

10
00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,400
Speaker 2: Well, it's really exciting these changes and they couldn't have

11
00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,159
Speaker 2: come at a better time with winter seeing donor numbers

12
00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,600
Speaker 2: right down at the moment. So these changes, after a

13
00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:47,760
Speaker 2: lot of research and extensive modeling, have shown that it

14
00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:51,360
Speaker 2: causes no risks to our already very safe blood supply.

15
00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,920
Speaker 2: Will our people who have had a tattoo in a

16
00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:59,160
Speaker 2: registered parlor to come in and go donate blood just

17
00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:01,840
Speaker 2: seven days later, and that's down from a four months

18
00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:06,959
Speaker 2: wait previously, and then you can also donate plasma immediately.

19
00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:09,840
Speaker 1: Yeah right, How big a difference do you reckon this

20
00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:13,200
Speaker 1: is going to make comparatively to the timeframes that were

21
00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:14,360
Speaker 1: previously in place.

22
00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:17,240
Speaker 2: Well, I think it's going to make a pretty big

23
00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,800
Speaker 2: difference because I mean people don't necessarily just get one tattoo.

24
00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:22,560
Speaker 2: They could get a tattoo and then a few months

25
00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:25,920
Speaker 2: later get another one and be you know, previously unable

26
00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:30,520
Speaker 2: to donate for quite some period of time. And Spacific

27
00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:32,920
Speaker 2: show that one in four of us is now ink.

28
00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:37,319
Speaker 2: So with so many people getting tattoos and it's showing

29
00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,199
Speaker 2: no sign of abating, it's going to make a huge

30
00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,360
Speaker 2: difference to us. And we're preticting about nextra ten thousand

31
00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:45,120
Speaker 2: donations every year. Yeah.

32
00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,600
Speaker 1: Now, we know that there are a lot of people

33
00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,680
Speaker 1: who travel to the likes of Bali though and get tattoos.

34
00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:55,360
Speaker 1: Do these changes work for them as well?

35
00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:58,480
Speaker 2: These are the tattoo These rules are just for tattoos

36
00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:02,560
Speaker 2: done a registered powers in Australia. If you do get

37
00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:05,600
Speaker 2: a tattoo overseas, it's still the four months wait. So

38
00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,320
Speaker 2: you can absolutely donate blood, but you'll have to wait

39
00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:09,280
Speaker 2: for four months.

40
00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,040
Speaker 1: Now, how many extra donations do you reckon this is

41
00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,000
Speaker 1: going to mean for the northern territories specifically, Do we

42
00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:17,560
Speaker 1: have any of those numbers?

43
00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:20,200
Speaker 2: It's hard to tell. I mean, I don't have the

44
00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:22,560
Speaker 2: numbers of I mean that one and four of US

45
00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,360
Speaker 2: Australia wide. I'm not sure if the numbers in the

46
00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:30,079
Speaker 2: NPTY specifically, but it'll certainly be a significant change. And

47
00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:32,480
Speaker 2: you know right now in NT, just the next week

48
00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:36,760
Speaker 2: we need another one hundred donors and double that the

49
00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,280
Speaker 2: week following, So if someone's just gotten a tattoo, then

50
00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:42,799
Speaker 2: they will be able to donate next week, and would

51
00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,239
Speaker 2: absolutely love to see them in donating.

52
00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:49,000
Speaker 1: Now at what sparked the change.

53
00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,799
Speaker 2: We're always trying to review and keep up to date

54
00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:58,720
Speaker 2: with medical science and evidence, and we want to make donating,

55
00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,080
Speaker 2: as you know, aailable to as many people as possible.

56
00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:05,600
Speaker 2: So we had previously reduced this weight time to form,

57
00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,560
Speaker 2: and now we've done that extra research and found that

58
00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:14,799
Speaker 2: actually it's fine to reduce it to seven days. So

59
00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:17,560
Speaker 2: it's just part of our continual effort to try and

60
00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,359
Speaker 2: make it by donation available to many people as possible

61
00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:23,160
Speaker 2: while still maintaining safety of our blood.

62
00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,240
Speaker 1: SUPI yeah, which is so incredibly important. I know that

63
00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:28,720
Speaker 1: there is a lot of work that goes in to

64
00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:32,520
Speaker 1: doing both of those things. Tell me where can people

65
00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:34,840
Speaker 1: go to donate here in the Northern Territory if they

66
00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:35,360
Speaker 1: are Kin.

67
00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,360
Speaker 2: We have our Dona Center in Casarina. The easiest way

68
00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:42,840
Speaker 2: to make an appointment is you can jump online at

69
00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:46,040
Speaker 2: lifelood dot com TODAYU. You can call us on thirteen

70
00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,680
Speaker 2: fourteen ninety five, or you can download the free Donate

71
00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:51,880
Speaker 2: Blood app and make your equipment from there.

72
00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,040
Speaker 1: Well, Blinda, lovely to speak to you this morning. I

73
00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:56,960
Speaker 1: really appreciate your time and appreciate you talking us through

74
00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:57,880
Speaker 1: those changes.

75
00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:00,360
Speaker 2: Thanks so much, curR