The director of the Dominican Red Cross, Rosa Belliard, claims that 99% of the blood donated to banks throughout the D.R. is safe for transfusion. She said that in the last few years the Ministry of Public Health has tightened its control over blood banks, prompted by the presence of the AIDS virus, and now there is only the minimum possibility of finding infected blood.
Mrs. Belliard added, however, that the lack of different types of blood in the banks is often a problem, and called on all citizens and residents to contribute.