COVID-19
KUCHING: In response to the depleting blood supply in the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) Blood Bank, three responsible citizens have taken the initiative to organise a blood donation drive, which also aims to alleviate fears surrounding blood donation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The blood donation project will be held at 12pm on Thursday (August 27) at SGH Blood Bank here.
Project co-organiser Angelina Jong said that the current shortage in blood supply was the consequence of fear surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic; warding off donors.
“We fear that the fear may get out blown out of proportion, hence the dire need to ensure that the Blood Bank’s supply is sufficient,” she said.
In response to this concern, she along with her co-organisers had contacted relevant hospital authorities to obtain a clear picture of the situation at the ground level.
She said they had been informed that with the proper adherence to the guidelines and standard of practice in combating Covid-19, the risk of infection during blood donation was actually very low.
“This ignited our sense of responsibility in creating public awareness among the community on the real situation as well as doing our part to fulfil the needs in replenishing the central blood reservoir in Kuching,” she said.
Speaking of the project’s initiation, Jong said that the co-organisers had started off with the idea of donating their blood. However, they quickly realised that just three of them would not be able to sustain Kuching’s population.
They therefore decided to amass the larger population of Kuching to be part of their noble deed.
“It is logical to get the community involved for the community. Everyone or anyone close to them would need blood at some point in their lives,” she said.
With this new goal in mind, she said they began to promote the blood donation project while educating on safe practice to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
She hoped that as many people from the community as possible would get involved in this project in order to cover the blood supply shortage.
“It may be a long shot but we are confident that this initiative will be able to spread to a larger audience, whether it is during the planned blood donation day itself or on any other days,” she said.
Jong said the project would open the eyes of the public to understand that Covid-19 was not a barrier to fulfilling an important duty in saving lives.
The criteria for donors are:
- Between 18 to 60 years old for first-time donors
- Between 18 to 70 years old for repeat donors
- Minimum body weight of 45kg
- Controlled blood pressure
- Minimum five hours of sleep prior to donation day
- Haemoglobin level of 12.5g/dL and above
- No alcohol consumption in the last 24 hours
- Not heavily menstruating, pregnant, or breast-feeding
Not involved in high-risk behaviours: drug abuse, sexual promiscuity
