Kota Kinabalu: A 'blood-meter indicator' tower to ensure local blood banks will never run out of supply has been mooted by a group of students from a Peninsular Malaysia higher-learning institution here on Saturday. A group of final year public relations students from Universiti Institut Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam proposed the idea during their #UnitedForBlood blood donation drive to assist thalassaemia patients. Speaking at the closing ceremony here of the blood drive here, Assistant Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Joachim Gunsalam welcomed the idea and called for the public to pledge assistance to the noble suggestion.
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"Sabah, including my constituency (Kundasang) has a higher number of thalassaemia patients alongside with Kota Marudu, and they need to undergo blood transfusion once every three months. "There are times the supply of blood was not enough in hospitals when a transfusion was badly needed," he said.
Joachim pointed out it is up to City Hall to decide whether they would be able to provide the space for the purpose. Also present were the #UnitedForBlood project adviser Dr Wan Norbani Wan Noordin, Sabah Thalasaemia Society President Francis Mujim and Malaysia Thalassaemia Association President Datuk Abdullah Yunus.
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According to Dr Wan, the project is estimated to cost around RM10,000 and will take about two years to be completed, once the location and paperwork are approved by the authorities here. "The foot of the tower doesn't need a large space and it doesn't require to be very high, just enough that is placed at a position and location where the people can see," said Dr Wan, adding that the tower would be the second in the country after the one erected at the Penang Hospital.
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Meanwhile, #UnitedForBlood is an attempt by the students to collect 400 pints of blood and saw some 400 officers from the armed forces, navy and uniformed school bodies coming forward to assist the attempt here and in Shah Alam in Selangor.In May this year, the State Health Department announced Sabah had the most in the country with 17,0000 thalassaemia patients, Nabawan recording the highest number of incidences, as well as Kota Marudu, Kudat and Tambunan.
