Jemma Falkenmire

Red cells are really important for people undergoing surgeries.

Our bodies need red cells to keep our bodies alive, carry everything around there.

Lots of people who are having heart surgeries, for example, rely on those red cells.

And then we have plasma.

And so it has lots of antibodies in it that are really magic.

They protect us from diseases and infections.

And as you can imagine, there's a lot of patients in hospital, but including cancer patients, but people with faulty immune systems or weak immune systems who really rely on those regular infusions of those antibodies to protect them against diseases and infection.

So, yeah, really, there's just so many ways that blood helps people in hospital.

I don't say this lightly that Australia has one of the safest blood supplies in the world for people in hospital.

We have an incredibly safe blood supply and it's because of all those questions that people are asked before they go in to donate.

We're just incredibly safe and we're always reviewing the rules and

the change to this rule is really like all of our rules.

It's undergone a very intensive process and scrutiny from the regulator and governments and a number of years of work in terms of research and evidence.

So very safe.

And our patients also have access to one of the safest blood supplies in the world.

So I think we're very fortunate in that regard that it's just so incredibly safe for them.

And I guess the second part of that is that we really do look after our donors.

So

If you do come in to donate, we like you to be really well hydrated.

We like you to have lots to eat.