As BR24 TV reported on June 14, 2026, the blood supply in Bavaria is currently stable. But regular donors are getting older, and young people often do not return after their first donation. The Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) sees this as a growing challenge.
“Young people do donate, but perhaps not as sustainably as we would like,” said Georg Götz, managing director of the BRK Blood Donation Service. The task is to turn first-time donors into regular donors. Götz cited social changes as the reason for the lack of sustainability: training, studies, and careers leave less time, while leisure activities increase.
Vincent Wiesböck, a 22-year-old medical student, donated blood for the first time one afternoon. “The idea had been around for a while,” he said. The blood donation service’s advertising had appealed to him. Blood supplies are needed daily after accidents, during operations, or in cancer therapy.
Source: BR
