KUCHING: Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) currently needs at least 2,400 pints of blood in a month.
This means that the hospital needs about 80 pints of blood a day.
Kuching City South Council (MBKS) mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng called upon the public to continue donating blood to help those who are really in need.
“I urge the public to always support any blood donation campaigns because donating blood is a simple yet meaningful way to give back to the community,” he said during the fourth blood donation campaign co-organised by the State Health Department, Malaysian Red Crescent Society Kuching District and Tay Motors at MBKS Community Hall, Padungan here today.
He said by donating blood, it will help save millions of lives each year, and blood is essential not only for emergency medical situations but also for long-term treatments.
“No matter how you do it, giving back to your community will help the lives of many people.
“We may not be a frontliner, like those who are contributing as members of the medical team, but we contribute to the country by donating blood to those who are really in need,” he said.
Wee also said that he is proud to see the public coming forward to donate blood since the movement control order (MCO) period.
“Whenever you donate blood, you’re a hero to someone,” he said.
He added that it is good to see that more youth have come forward regularly to donate blood.
“Since the MCO, the council has been active in supporting blood donation campaigns organised by relevant agencies and I believe that the purpose of these campaigns is to let the public understand and to raise awareness of the importance of blood donation to Kuching community, especially during this pandemic,” he said.
SGH Blood Bank head of department Dr Mohammad Masrin Md Zahrin said the maximum duration of storage for red blood cells is 42 days while component platelets can usually be stored up to five days.
“Therefore, we need people to constantly donate blood to ensure that the supply is enough,” he said.
He said currently, the blood supply is at an adequate and safe level, and this is due to the contribution from the public.
Meanwhile, about 200 people from all walks of life came forward to donate blood yesterday. The blood drive will continue today at the same venue from 9am to 3pm.
Wee also took the opportunity to present a Chinese dessert called Tang Yuan (balls of glutinous rice) to the public in conjunction with the Chinese Winter Solstice Festival which will be celebrated on Dec 21.
Also present at the blood drive were Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC) Kuching District Blood Donors Recruitment Services sub-committee chairman John Jong and Tay Motors director Aaron Tay.
