I can say it with a straight face: I barely felt a thing.

Giving blood at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) Donor Clinic turns out to be a virtually painless and quick procedure.

No identification is needed: new donors fill out contact information with date of birth, and agree to have their blood tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and other diseases.

“We like to get to know our donors well,” explained Nurse Lucy Correia.

“Once we have your information, you're given a donor number and a donor card is mailed out so that the next time we can just check your information and take blood as quickly as possible.”

Following a basic questionnaire on health, medical history and time spent abroad, candidates are interviewed, then tested for high blood pressure, heart rate and haemoglobin count.

A tiny puncher extracts a drop of blood from a fingertip for the blood count test.

Since heart rate must be below 100 beats per minute, I reminded myself to keep calm.

Fortunately, I passed the test and was clear to leave the interview room for a recliner in the clinic.

Ms Correia checked the crook of my arm to make sure the skin was healthy, located a good vein and gave me a rubber ball to hold.

I was offered a blanket in case I felt cold (I didn't).

However, being as squeamish as anyone else, I couldn't watch as the needle was placed in my arm. To my pleasant surprise, I hardly even noticed it.

I got more sensation at the initial blood test than I did for the actual donation, which testifies to the practiced skill of clinic staff.

It takes, on average, around five minutes to collect 500 ml of blood seven minutes in my case.

The blood was collected in a plastic bag cradled on a rocking machine, which inhibits the clotting ability of blood.

Four samples are also taken for testing, and marked with my own personal donor number.

While we waited, Ms Correia explained: “We'll send samples overseas to a facility based in Philadelphia which can genetically test the blood for diseases in under 48 hours. Once it's cleared, it's ready for us to use.”

It turns out that the average body can replenish the amount of blood taken in about 24 hours.

After Ms Correia removed the needle, I held a piece of gauze to my arm, which was then given a light bandage for the rest of the day. I was told to avoid excessive heat for the rest of the day, avoid anything strenuous, and drink plenty of fluids except alcohol.

After a glass of orange juice, I was allowed to get up and eat some biscuits in an adjoining room, where donors are encouraged to wait until they feel comfortable leaving the facility, which is located on the first floor of KEMH.

While we waited, I learned that with a dedicated but small base of donors in Bermuda just three percent of the population the nurses at the Donor Clinic are now using Facebook to recruit more.

The clinic also plans to start notifying donors by text to keep supplies coming in regularly.

Medical director Betsie Lombard said the clinic had been forced to adopt tough new regulations in 1993, following the “mad cow” (BSE) disease scare in the UK, which had excluded a lot of Bermudian donors.

“At the moment we can't change the rules because our crediting bodies are North American and very strict,” Dr Lombard said.

“There's still a lot of worry and scientific controversy about BSE, which is unfortunate, but the number one thing which would change this would be a commercial test. It hasn't yet been developed. In the meantime, we just hope people will understand that these aren't intended to be discriminatory rules.”

I left the clinic after a total visit of just over an hour, which is about average. Aside from a mild tingle in the crook of my left arm, I felt fine possibly even more relaxed than usual.

To find out for yourself, try the bood donor clinics operating from Tuesday to Thursday between 8.30am and 3pm at KEMH.

During the rest of the week at the centre, nurses Fiona Barber, Sue De Vertieul, Pat Lang and Katrina Hicks use email and phone to canvass for new donors, and notify existing donors every 56 days that Bermuda needs blood. The Island does not import blood except under exceptional circumstances, so every new donor counts.

For more information on the procedure, visit www.bermudahospitals.bm.