Information on the Conditions of Blood Donation at the National Blood Service Supply of Hungary (OVSZ)
Before Donation
It is highly suggested to eat and drink plenty before the donation. This way the possibility of nausea is considerably reduced.
At the Donation
Donors are requested to show your Identity Documents. This can be a photographic document with a unique identification number, indicating the name of the donor in roman characters, issued for identification purposes: identity card (Hungarian/foreign), or valid passport (Hungarian /foreign), or driving licence in the form of a card (Hungarian /foreign), or Hungarian student ID card, or Hungarian identification card of armed forces. Other official Hungarian identity documents: any other photographic document issued by a Hungarian authority, not included in the list of default documents, bearing a unique identification serial number, issued for identification purposes. (Not suitable for personal identification: letter, invoice, artifact, decision, etc.) For example Residence Permit.
Only original document is accepted; In case no mother's name is indicated on the document, the mother's name may be given by other means; The identification number of the identity card/document used for identification must be recorded if:
- the identification is made with an identity card issued by a foreign authority,
- the identification is made with a default identity card issued by a Hungarian authority, but the place of (foreign) residence is indicated by presenting an identity card issued by a foreign authority.
- identification is made by means of an "other authority" document issued by a Hungarian authority
Social Insurance Identification Number (TAJ number)
In the case of non-Hungarian citizens and Hungarian citizens living abroad, in the absence of a social security number, the identification number of the document, certifying the health insurance status of the person applying for blood donation, must be recorded.
Survey
Before the start of the process you are asked to fill in a survey in which there are questions to evaluate the risk of any infection donors may have. We listed some of the questions here: Do you feel healthy? Are you currently being treated for any illness, are you currently taking any medication? Do you work with dangerous substances, at heights or in dangerous places? (e.g. crane, aeroplane) Have you had any complaints or sickness after a previous blood donation? Are you aware of any history of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in your blood relatives? At any time in your life have you used intravenous drugs or injections not prescribed by a doctor? Has he/she ever received any hormonal product of human origin during his/her lifetime? (e.g. growth hormone). Have you had any tissue or organ transplants; have you had any sex reassignment surgery? (female to male / male to female).
Conditions excluding blood donation
- Tattoos, make-up tattoos applied within 180 days,
- Piercing, any kind of body jewellery applied within 180 days,
- Body weight is less than 50 kg,
- Staying and travelling to countries considered as high risk by OVSZ (tropical countries, or stay in the UK between 1980 – 1996 for at least a year.
- Citizens of countries that has records of malaria, regardless of the time of stay.
- Restricted territories: read this document
For detailed information on blood donation, read this document.
