What happens to your blood after you donate

After your 10 minutes on the couch, the unit starts its own journey:

1. Screening tests — every single unit is tested for HIV, hepatitis B & C, syphilis, malaria (and once emergency-use-tested per current policy). Positive units are destroyed and the donor informed confidentially.
2. Blood grouping — ABO and Rh confirmed, twice.
3. Component separation — at centres with separation units (like GMCH and AMCH), your unit becomes red cells + plasma + platelets: up to three patients from one donation.
4. Cold chain — red cells at 2–6°C, plasma frozen, platelets agitated at room temperature (they last only 5 days).
5. Crossmatch — before transfusion, the patient’s sample is matched against your unit. Only then is it issued.

This is why donation happens only at licensed centres — the entire chain is regulated, temperature-logged and auditable. It’s also why “direct” blood transfers between people don’t exist anymore: everything goes through testing, always.