Blood Donation Suomalaisittain

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Markus Stocker, Recommended 0 | Recommend

(For a note regarding the title, please see previous post.)

I think, it was September 2009 when I first asked a colleague for information regarding blood donation in Finland. He wasn’t familiar with the details but he gave the first hint: the address of the local Red Cross Finland Blood Service. After I first visited the center, I learned that donating blood in Finland would not be as straightforward as I hoped.

First, you need a Finnish social identity number, which I already had. Here, however, the requirements I fulfilled ended. Next, you need an official Finnish identification with picture. I thought, oh, well, I suppose I won’t be donating blood in Finland, saddened. You need one of (i) Finnish passport, (ii) Finnish identity card, (iii) Finnish driver’s license, (iv) Kela card (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland).

I tried Kela first, after all it would be good to have coverage here anyhow. No luck, I’m currently paid for 15 hours / week, required are 18 hours / week. What else? I’m sure I won’t get a Finnish passport. Do I get a Finnish identity card? Unlikely, I thought. Driver’s license? Do I want to go through this?

Some day between Christmas and New Year. I went to the police, with a Red Cross Finland Blood Service business card and a list of the four cards, in Finnish, and asked for directions; which one can I get? A Finnish identity card! Sorry, what? I’m not a citizen, how is it possible I get a Finnish identity card?

I need to have a permanent resident status. Back in September, I did register as a temporary resident, unclear on what advantage a permanent status would give me. However, I was confident I would fulfill the requirement for a permanent resident status, i.e. a work contract for at least two years. (Wish it would be that easy for the US, actually, no, everywhere.) Thus, I went to the immigration office to change my status. They did, almost instantly, including a warm welcome smile, I think partially motivated by my tentative Kiitos, hei hei, ja Onnellista Uutta Vuotta (Thank you, goodbye & Happy New Year). I needed a new passport picture as well, the one I had didn’t fit the model. Back at the police things went really smooth.

Two weeks ago, I got the Finnish identify card, my first in a foreign country. It didn’t take me long to visit Red Cross Finland Blood Service again, confident I would match all requirements now. I did.

It might sound like a lot of troubles to go through for something like blood donation. Perhaps. I would not want to miss anything of the experience, though. First, blood donation is a reasonable thing to do, if you can. Second, I did enjoy to learn the differences to what I’m used to. Third, I have never been given so much attention while donating blood like here in Finland, notably the nurse bringing me multivitamins juice during the donation, almost worried I might run out of liquids. But the best part has been a new friend who joined me, kiitos, for me the first time I had shared a donation upon my suggestion.

On a side note. I previously reported on what donated blood is tested for in Switzerland. In Finland, the list is longer.

ABO, Rh and Kell (K) blood group components
HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus
HBA, or hepatitis A virus
HBV, or hepatitis B virus
HCV, or hepatitis C virus
The Syphilis bacterium
Parvovirus

(Source: Red Cross Finland Blood Service “Lend an Arm Donor Information Pack.”)

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