For the longest time, hospital and authorities in the field of medicine have been urging fellow Malaysians to donate blood as much as possible. This is because it’s important to keep our blood bank full at all times, in case of emergency. A pack of blood could save a life!
Fortunately, PDN’s director Dr Noryati Abu said that the number of blood donors has since increased from 180,052 in 2016 to 180,651 in 2017, reported The Malay Mail. Hopefully, it will increase this year too!
Source: Utusan Online
She explained that 82,619 new donors have joined the cause as compared to 76,213 new donors recorded in 2016. Dr Noryati said that this is a “positive sign” as the patients’ needs are being met under the Ministry of Health.
She was quoted as saying,
“In Malaysia, O is the most common blood type, followed by A and B and the rarest being AB blood type.”
Source: The Malaysia Book of Records
However, along with the increase in new donors, the need for blood units has also increased. Therefore, PDN is still urging the public to donate blood.
After all, the average Malaysian hospital needs about 2,000 units of blood per day while hospitals in the Klang Valley alone needs about 500 units per day, explained Dr Noryati. And that’s why we need more people to donate their blood!
Plus, the blood supply at hospitals across the country tends to drop drastically before festive seasons and school holidays. They would usually drop below the safe limit of 3,000 bags a day. This is serious, guys!
Source: Soka Gakkai Malaysia
She said that the demand for blood has drastically increased over the years because of these three main factors:
- The rise in the number of patients
- The increase in the development of medical technology
- The increase in the availability of speciality hospitals in Malaysia
Nevertheless, Dr Noryati assured,
“PDN will ensure that blood supply is always sufficient during the festive seasons by intensifying blood donation campaigns at locations such as shopping complexes and mosques.”
“In addition, PDN will continue to work with blood campaign organisers, among them Mara Junior Science College Alumni (Ansara), non-governmental organisations, Prasarana Malaysia Berhad and Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp) Sdn Bhd.”
Source: Texchem
She then continued,
“As such, we encourage the public to come forward to donate blood at the PDN at Jalan Tun Razak, here or at any government hospital in the country, to ensure sufficient blood supply at all times.”
Go donate, guys!
On the other hand, Dr Noryati also revealed two methods that we can use to donate our blood to PDN, which are;
- Whole blood donation, which will be carried out every three months.
- Apheresis donation, which is done through an appointment system.
She explained that apheresis donation is when you donate specific blood components like plasma, platelets or both. This isn’t like your typical whole blood donation because after these components are separated, the rest of the blood will be transfused back into your body.
Source: Open i
Looks like we need more blood units because there’s still a demand for it. So, let’s contribute to society by donating more blood!
PS: You have to meet certain health criteria before you can donate blood, so do check with your doctor beforehand.
Also read: Those With Blood Type O Have Higher Risk of Dying From Severe Trauma, Study Says
