Sarawak hospitals need 150 pints of blood daily

KUCHING, Oct 13 (Bernama) -- The hospitals in Sarawak required an average of 150 pints of blood daily to meet the patients’ needs, says its Health Department deputy director (medical) Dr Kamaruddin Lajim.

Hence, he said the Sarawak Blood Bank required at least 150 donors to donate blood daily.

In the Kuching division alone, about 500 pints of blood were needed weekly to help patients in both government and private hospitals, he said.

“The challenge we face now is that our existing donors are getting older and suffer from various illnesses for them to continue donating blood so the group is shrinking due to the age factor,” he said.

Dr Kamaruddin said this at the launch of the 38th Blood Run and the state-Level World Blood Donor Day celebration, officiated by Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Chong Chien Jen here today.

Meanwhile, Chong in his speech urged more Sarawakians to come forward donating blood and said that he would do so.

--BERNAMA