KUCHING: Regular and first donors are encouraged to donate blood at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), especially those with “O” blood type.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said this, in response to the lack of type “O” blood supply at SGH at the moment.
“This is because “O” blood type, while is the most common one, the supply for it is not enough in the blood bank.
“Normally, the lifespan of a blood lasts from seven to 10 days.
“We cannot collect a lot of blood and then do not use it, I mean, blood is very precious,” he explained.
Dr Sim said this when met by reporters after officiating the inaugural community preparedness training at Ang Cheng Ho Sports and Community Hall here today (Jan 21).
On another note, he stated that the lack of blood supply rarely happened in Sarawak.
“So we are very lucky that our state in recent years had a case where hospital such as SGH lacks blood supply.
“That is quite a big change compared to 30, 40 years ago I still remember that you had to pay a donor in order to get blood. Now, we do not have to do that,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Sim stressed that SGH urgently needs additional blood supplies, particularly for emergencies such as surgeries, accidents, and other critical situations.
“Blood transfusion is not something that you can do lightly, and before blood donation is being done, donors need to go through a check-up to just make that they are free from any diseases.
“That is why when it comes to blood donation, regular donors are asked to call the hospital and get their appointment, so that we can help the hospital with blood transfusion, especially those that needed,” he added.
