Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Blood stock at the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) chapter of Banjarmasin, is getting rare due to the decrease in people donated blood since the COVID-19 pandemic attacked South Kalimantan.
Head of Blood Donation of the PMI Banjarmasin dr Aulia Ramadhan Supit here on Saturday said, the scarcity of blood stock resulted in the blood demand from hospitals could not be fulfilled.
According to him, usually the donor blood reaches four thousand bags in every month, but PMI now only able to obtain 1,500 bags in a month.
"Whereas the blood demand per day reaches 100 to 200 bags," he said.
The condition, he said, has occurred since the outbreak of the COVID-19 in February 2020. Since then, the usual storage cabinet is full of blood bags, now it always empty, because people were reluctant to donate blood in the mid of pandemic.
"Even though the health protocol has been implemented by PMI officers when taking blood," he said.
At this time, he added, the availability of blood of almost all blood types really in shortage. PMI unable to meet the demand for blood from all hospitals in Banjarmasin.
He said, the agency has made various efforts, including dessimination by involving media and community activists. But PMI still could not meet the demand that continues to come every day.
"So ur refrigerator is now no longer being filled, even if it is filled for a while, order immediately comes," he said.
He hoped all parties to help PMI. However blood needs become of the most important effort in saving the lives of patients.
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