Dr Sarah (second left) with Sandakan Chinese Youth Association chairman Eric Tan (second right) during the blood donation campaign.
SANDAKAN: Hospital Duchess of Kent (HDOK) Blood Bank’s current stocks could last only for about one week if there is no new blood supply coming in.
Transfusion Medicine Department chief Dr Sarah Mat Noh said that although the current condition in HDOK blood bank was considered “intermediate”, the hospital is in serious need of donors to donate blood.
“HDOK needs about 150 pints of blood per week because we have continuous demand from Thalassemia patients and blood cancer patients.
Thalassemia patients who are dependent on blood transfusion need new blood supply every two weeks or a month.
“Hence, we actually need about 200 pints of blood per week to also cater for other urgent cases such as massive bleeding after child delivery, accidents and so on.
Since MCO started, all the campaign organisers (blood donation campaign) had to cancel all campaigns.
“This has seriously affected our blood supply because 70 percent to 80 percent of our supply comes from mobile blood donation campaign, while the rest are from donors who come to the hospital to donate blood.
“We want people to know that blood supply is continuously needed by the hospital because the blood pints could only be kept for 42 days, and because our patients need continuous supply of blood. Also, we have been sending blood supply to Beluran and Kinabatangan Hospitals because they are also running out of blood supply due to MCO (Movement Control Order),” Dr Sarah said.
She said starting from the second week of MCO, the hospital has managed to get approval from Ministry of Health to conduct mobile blood donation campaign, provided they conduct it with strict precautionary measures such as screening of donors, and practising of safe social distancing throughout the blood donation process.
“We have then approached several organisers, and managed to conduct three blood donation campaigns in Sandakan so far (since MCO started), including the Persatuan Pemuda Cina Sandakan (which approached the hospital first) which is going to conduct a campaign this week. We are thankful for the organiser and hope that the people of Sandakan would come forward to donate blood,” she added.
P Sandakan Chinese Youth Association is collaborating with HDOK to conduct blood donation campaign in an effort to collect blood supply for HDOK Blood Bank during the MCO period.
The association deputy chairman cum blood donation campaign organising chairman, John Lai Wing Kit said the campaign is conducted yesterday and today (April 26), at two separate venues from 10am to 4pm.
The two venues are HDOK Blood Bank (fourth floor) and Sejati Walk Mile 7 (Centre Court, first floor). Donors from Zone A (town to Mile 4) are encouraged to go to HDOK, while donors from Zone B (mile 5 to mile 8) should go to Sejati Walk.
Only four people are allowed to donate blood at a time in order to avoid a bid crowd at the blood donation stations. Hence, donors are asked to contact the Blood Bank hotline at 017-3113546 for registration before going to the blood donation station so that suitable schedule can be arranged.
“We will also ensure that safe social distancing would be practised by all medical staff and donors. Medical personnel at the stations will check body temperature of each donor, and donors will be given hand washing liquid in order to ensure optimum safety during the blood donation process,” Lai said.
Donors will also receive a goody bag with food items including rice, dry noodles, instant noodles, condensed milk, coffee, cooking oil, flour and biscuit, as well as a three-ply face mask from the association.
Lai appealed to the people in Sandakan to support the blood donation campaign and donate blood to save lives.