Kota Kinabalu: Some 400 packs per month of blood are needed for Kota Marudu hospital which are channelled to the Thalassemia Care Centre (TCC) due to 121 patients – and the number is rising.
As such, Kota Kinabalu Tzu Chi Foundation and Sabah China Chamber of Commerce (SCCC Women division) are jointly organising a blood donation drive at the ITCC mall on 1st Floor (next to Mr. DIY outlet) from 10am to 4pm on Aug 20.
Chairperson of SCCC Women Entrepreneurs Division cum spokesperson, Tan Siew Ling, said three packs of blood are needed for each patient in a month.
“We can conclude that the blood demand from the blood bank in Kota Marudu is very high, which is estimated to be 400 packs per month,” she said, adding that each donor will receive goodies as a sign of appreciation.
The average ethnic group of Thalassemia patients are Dusun where most are farmers and with low-income.
Most of them faced predicaments such as travelling long distance from their villages to the hospital for treatment.
It was learnt that some patients had to postpone getting treatment due to financial constraint such as insufficient funds to cover their travelling fare, said Tan.
Meanwhile, the goodies for donors will include Chinese medicines, mineral water and food vouchers courtesy of IKS Mart in Kota Kinabalu.
Some 200 donors are expected at the campaign. For more details, please contact 0168300475.
