MP Terrelonge backs National Blood Bank screening at Parliament blood drive

Member of Parliament Alando Terrelonge has publicly backed a national blood donation exercise staged at Jamaica's Parliament, where teams from the National Blood Bank are running a detailed health screen ahead of collection.

In remarks recorded on location, Terrelonge said he had already finished the preliminary work-up offered to would-be donors. Staff were evaluating iron stores, cholesterol markers and blood-sugar readings linked to diabetes risk, among other checks, before clearing individuals to continue along the donation pathway.

Terrelonge pitched the session as an open invitation rather than a closed political event. He asked residents islandwide to visit, take the tests in good faith and, where medical criteria allow, add their names to the roster of voluntary contributors who keep the blood service ready when patient demand rises without warning.

The parliamentarian stressed continuity of supply. "We always need blood," he said, noting that demand can surface without warning for the donor himself, for immediate family or for a close companion who may need donated blood. Nobody can predict who will next require units, he added, repeating the warning that the person in need might even be the volunteer, a relative or a cherished friend. He described the goal in vivid everyday terms: ensuring the central reserve stays topped up with healthy red cells so the blood bank is not left short during unexpected spikes in use.

Closing on an upbeat note, Terrelonge framed turnout as a practical act of neighbourliness. He encouraged every eligible Jamaican who hears the call to step forward, complete the assessment and help keep the national blood bank well supplied.