Kota Kinabalu: The Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC) Sabah has collected 4,760 pints of blood until last Saturday through the Covid-19 Blood Donation Programme which was implemented in Sabah in March.
Sabah MRC Blood Donation programme coordinator Leslie Chan Boon Siang said the initiative to hold a blood donation programme at MRC’s own premises was done after receiving feedback from the public who were concerned over the risk of getting an infection in hospital.
“Initially we had received a phone call from the hospital to assist in promoting the blood donation campaign at the hospital.
“After receiving feedback from the public who were worried about getting infected if they went to the hospital, we discussed with the Transfusion Medical Unit to formulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) and received approval from the Sabah Health Department to hold blood donation programmes outside the hospital premises,” he told Bernama here Monday.
A total of 3,553 pints of blood was collected during the first phase of the programme from March to August.
“The remaining 1,207 pints of blood was collected in the second phase of this programme from September to December. We are confident of collecting more blood in the second phase of this programme because many donors have contacted us,” he said.
Chan also urged the public to donate blood to meet the critical blood supply at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital, Kudat and Tuaran hospitals, saying they should not fear as it is done in compliance with the SOP. Meanwhile despite having to travel across mangrove areas and dilapidated bridges, it did not in dampen the spirit of the Sandakan Umno division’s Puteri and Youth wings from delivering food aid to communities affected by the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO ) including in squatter areas.
Puteri wing team, led by Shaninah Sani, has been doing these activities since the first phase of Movement Control Order (MCO) in March. – Bernama
She said the intention was to give assistance to both, Malaysians and foreigners who were in dire need of help.
“This pandemic has not only hit the country, but the whole world and one of the steps to break the chain of the pandemic is humanitarian effort,” Shaninah told Bernama while delivering aid in a squatter area here.
She said that despite having limited funds, her team has managed to deliver assistance to about 1,000 families identified through Facebook and public information.
Shaninah said there were times when those who needed help during the CMCO were discovered by accident such as the squatter settlement here.
“Recently, we assisted a pregnant mother who had a miscarriage in a squatter settlement who needed help to go to the hospital for treatment.
“The situation in the area is pretty sad and we quickly realised that there are other families that needed help too, so we are moving in to deliver food aid,” she said.
A squatter resident who wanted to be known as Norhanina, 21, thanked Sandakan UMNO Puteri for providing assistance to the family of her brother-in-law, who lives with his parents and his two young children.
“My brother-in-law’s job is uncertain. Now that CMCO is being enforced, he finds it difficult to find a job to support his family. His wife has left him long time ago,” she said.
Meanwhile, Sandakan UMNO Youth chief Muslie Mustafa said the collaboration with Puteri wing has enabled more people with food shortages to get proper assistance in baby formula, food items including fresh produce, clothes and so on.
For the record, the Sabah Local Government and Housing Ministry stated that Sandakan has 34 squatter settlements involving almost 30,000 Malaysians and foreigners, making the number of squatters in this district the second highest in the state after Kota Kinabalu.
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