Five new VIP (very important platelet) donation centers will be set up in Tehran in cooperation with the Iran Blood Transfusion Organization, said Morteza Tabatabaei, director general of Tehran Blood Transfusion Center. “The centers equipped with the latest blood transfusion technologies will start operating in municipal districts 4, 5, 18 and 20 in the next 14 months,” he said, ISNA reported. Platelets help control bleeding by forming clots in blood. They are frequently prescribed for patients undergoing treatment for cancer, leukemia, and other serious diseases, as well as babies in neonatal intensive care and burn victims. Tabatabaei said the average national blood donation rate is 27 persons per 1,000, while 25% of the entire blood bank products are consumed in Tehran Province.
