Jenddy (third left)
SANDAKAN: The general public needs to be made aware that donating blood is a commendable voluntary practice and its contribution is invaluable, said Sabah State Minister of Community Development and People’s Well-being (KPMKR), Datuk James Ratib.
“Until now, there is still no other element that can completely replace the function of human blood even though many studies have been done before. That’s how important and unique human blood is.
“Nevertheless, the safety factor of donated blood should also be emphasized not only from the Blood Bank Unit that collects blood, but also from the blood donor themselves,” he said.
According to James, there is no denying that there are still many people in our community who refuse to come forward to donate blood even though various initiatives have been implemented by the Ministry and Department of Health.
He said, one of the reasons is because of the feeling of fear and doubt with the blood donation process that is carried out along with the myths related to blood donation.
He added, there are also those who think that donating blood can have negative effects on blood donors such as weight gain and bacterial or viral infections.
“All feelings of fear and belief in myths related to blood donation can be eliminated or reduced by asking and getting answers from experts,” he said.
James, who is also the Sugut Assemblyman said that the main benefit of donating blood is to save the lives of those in critical condition and help Thalassemia and cancer patients to live a better quality of life.
“In addition, based on research, you may not realize that donating blood can burn 650 calories in one session and reduce the risk of heart attack.
“Blood is very necessary to meet the growing demand due to population growth and medical developments in treating diseases and emergencies.
“I believe that to be a great person it is not necessary to do big and high-impact things, but it is enough to do small things that also have a big impact on other people’s lives.
“This is in line with the concept of donating blood that is carried out, even if it is only one bag of blood, but it will be able to have a significant impact on the patients who receive it,” he said.
James said this while inaugurating the Appreciation Ceremony in conjunction with the World Blood Donor Day 2023 Sandakan through his speech text read by his Political Secretary, Undi @ Jenddy Bin N.C. Sanggau.
The program is organized by the Medical Transfusion Department of Duchess Of Kent Hospital, Sandakan in collaboration with K2 Life Water Sdn. Bhd. held at Yu Yuan Hall, Sandakan on Saturday.
He added that June 14 has been declared as World Blood Donor Day by the World Health Organization (WHO) with a different celebration theme every year.
This year, he said, the theme of World Blood Donor Day is “Give Blood, Give Plasma, Share Life, Share Often” or “Blood Donation, Plasma Donation, Continuous Donation, For Life”.
“This celebration is one medium to encourage the community to donate blood to save others.
“In addition, it also aims to make the community aware of the importance of donating blood.
“This is because the Blood Bank Unit at the hospital often experiences critical blood stock problems due to the high demand from the hospital to treat patients who need blood transfusions,” he said.
He praised the efforts of the Sandakan World Blood Donor Day 2023 World Blood Donor Day Celebration Authority, especially to the Director of the Hospital, Dr Mohd Fahmie bin Othman as the Patron and the Department of Medical Transfusion HDOK which was the main host for the programe.
“In conjunction with this celebration, it is my hope that all members of the community, especially in Sandakan, regardless of religious or ethnic background, come forward to donate blood consistently.
“This is very important for us together to ensure that a safe and quality blood supply can be supplied continuously for the use of patients in need,” he said.
He also thanked Syarikat K2 Life Water Sdn. Bhd. and to the blood donors and blood donation campaign organizers for their involvement in celebrating World Blood Donor Day 2023.
“My appreciation to all the blood donors and organizers of the blood donation campaign who helped HDOK’s Department of Medical Transfusion to ensure that the blood supply is always sufficient,” he explained.
Also present were the Director of Duchess of Kent Hospital, Sandakan, Dr Mohd Fahmie bin Othman, Managing Director of Life Water K2, Liaw Hen Kong, Executive Director of Life water K2, Chin Lee Ling and others.
