Dr Sim (front row, sixth left) in a group photo with the recipients of awards in recognition of the lifesaving efforts.
KUCHING: Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) needs over 250 blood donors daily to meet the needs of the hospital and be prepared for emergencies.
Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian pointed out that it is extremely crucial for the city to secure an adequate supply of blood to save or sustain lives.
“One day, we may need the blood, and more so when we get older, especially when we suffer illness and sickness.
“Kuching city has a population of 750,000 people and I believe the goal to have 250 blood donors come forward daily can be achieved. It is only a matter of will,” he said, at the ceremony to appreciate blood donors held in conjunction with the Kuching-Level World Blood Donor Day celebration at Boulevard Shopping Mall here today.
In order to grow and maintain a sustainable and regular pool of blood donors, there is the need to increase the number of young blood donors between 17 to 25 years old to 35 per cent of the donor population, Dr Sim noted.
“So when you go donate, especially young people, go in a team of three because it take three persons’ blood to save one life. One person can only save one third of a life,” he said.
SGH, he continued, spent RM100,000 per month to process blood to obtain quality and healthy blood for use and maintain its Blood Bank.
“The government spends a lot of money on healthcare annually. The entire procedure from pre-screening to laboratory test to ensure the blood is good for transfusion cost around RM200. It is not ‘free’,” he said.
Earlier on, SGH medical transfusion specialist and event organising committee vice-chairman Dr Wong Yi Shen, revealed that active blood donors constitute just around 2.3 per cent of the population.
“We have to raise this number to at least 2.8 per cent for a consistent and sustainable blood supply for Sarawak and Malaysia,” he said.
SGH Blood Bank works closely with numerous organisers to ensure an adequate supply of safe blood to meet state transfusion needs and to encourage more young donors, campus activities and youth-centric blood donation drives have been carried out, Wong added.
“Our initiative include intensifying public education using social media. We have approximately 5,000 likes on our Facebook page ‘Blood Bank Hospital Umum Sarawak’. It helps us amplify our lifesaving mission on social media.
“In addition, collaborations between non-governmental organisations (NGOs), corporate sector and private sector must be expanded to enhance the level of awareness on the importance of donating blood,” he said.