(2/25/2013)
The Indonesian Red Cross Blood Donation Center operated at Bali’s Sanglah General Hospital is soliciting blood donations from foreign visitors and residents in Bali, particularly those with rhesus negative blood types needed to maintain a sufficient stand-by blood supply.
As reported by Bali Daily (The Jakarta Post), AAG Sudewa, the director of the Red Cross Blood Donor Unit (PMI - Palang Merah Indonesia) needs a large supply of rare rhesus blood for hospitals from across Indonesia who ask the Bali Center’s help when these blood products are needed.
Only 0.01% of native Indonesian’s have rhesus negative blood, necessitating help from foreign blood donors where the occurence of such blood is much higher in the geneal population.
A directory of foreigners living in Bali with rhesus negative blood is maintained by PMI Bali. Sudewa, explaining further, said: , “we also need to have some ready stock, so that we don’t have to call future donors, and pick the first person, especially when an emergency case occurs.”
Current plans are also to seek the assistance of Bali hotels and immigration to help publicize the drive for donation of blood by suitable foreign visitors.
Under that plan, a mobile medical team will come to the hotel and perform the donation procedure for guests who contact the hotel's reception indicating their readiness to donate their rhesus negative blood.
The Bali Blood Bank maintains a five-day supply of blood, dispensing around 100 bags of blood each day.
Due to a blood drive held in conjunction with Valentines Day, the blood supply as of February 22, 2013 stood at almost 500 bags comprised of 265 bags of type O, 166 bags of type B and 125 bags of type A blood.
He said many people “panic” and immediately resort to the social network seeking blood donors in times of a medical emergency before first checking if local supplies at the Bali Blood bank are sufficient.
The PMI Bali Blood Bank maintains a [Facebook Page] with the latest information on any urgent need for blood donors.
UNIT TRANSFUSI DARAH PEMBINA PMI DAERAH BALI
RSUP Sanglah
Indonesian Red Cross Blood Transfusion Unit
Sanglah General Hospital
Jalan Kesehatan
Denpasar
Telephone: ++62-(0)361-227 224
© Bali
Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced
if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com.
