The Balearic Islands Blood and Tissue Bank (BSTIB) warned this Wednesday that blood reserves are at 48% of weekly needs, a level below the minimum recommended to guarantee healthcare activity. According to a statement released by the organization, several blood types are at particularly low levels, including O+, A+, O-, and A-, while others such as AB- and B- are practically out of stock. The BSTIB reminds the public that blood is an essential resource for surgical procedures, cancer treatments, complex body parts, accidents, and other serious illnesses, so maintaining sufficient reserves is key to ensuring hospital care. Given this situation, the Blood Bank has made an urgent appeal to the healthy population, especially people between 18 and 65 years old, to donate at the fixed donation centers and mobile campaigns organized daily throughout the islands.

The Balearic Blood and Tissue Bank Foundation (BSTIB), in collaboration with the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), is organizing the first charity race to donate plasma, which will take place on Sunday, September 28, at the UIB Sports Campus football pitch. The children's races will begin at 9:30 a.m., and the 5- and 10-kilometer runs will begin at 10:20 a.m. The races will be free for all participants, who will receive a backpack and a commemorative T-shirt to wear on the day of the race.

Teresa Jiménez is the medical director of the Balearic Islands Blood Bank Foundation, an organization that has been self-sufficient in its supply of blood components for 14 years. This is not without effort, as the percentage of donors in the islands is not high, and therefore the organization is forced to carry out constant campaigns. She works daily to recruit donors and to make the Foundation a benchmark for other blood banks in Spain.

The blood reserves at the Balearic Islands Blood and Tissue Bank (BSTIB) are in a critical situation. With only 599 red blood cells available—when the ideal would be at least 1,000—the supply to the islands' hospitals is severely compromised. Blood groups O positive, A positive, A negative, and O negative are urgently needed to guarantee healthcare.