KUCHING: Despite its relatively smaller population in Malaysia, Sarawak has maintained its status as the national blood donation champion for the past six years.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian attributed this remarkable achievement to the selfless donors in Sarawak who have generously contributed their blood to save lives.
He expressed gratitude to the numerous non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across Sarawak for their dedicated collaboration with the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) and the Sarawak Health Department (JKNS) Blood Banks, organising approximately 50 blood donation campaigns annually.
Highlighting the financial aspect of blood donation, he mentioned that processing each unit of blood costs JKNS about RM150. After separation, the various components have varying durations of usability, with platelets lasting up to 5 days, Red Blood Cells (the most common transfusion with matching blood group) up to 40 days, and Plasma up to 1 year.
“Furthermore, Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) requires approximately 60 units of Red Blood Cells per day,” he noted.
“That is why from time to time, certain blood groups are in shortage and need to appeal to potential donors 8-12 weeks after the last donations,” he said on his Facebook page.
Reflecting on personal experiences, he recalled a time when his mother urgently needed to purchase blood for his late grandfather’s transfusion, underscoring the significant progress Sarawak has made since then.
He reiterated that the achievement of free blood transfusions in Sarawak is owed to the collective generosity of many donors and NGOs.
