"We cannot yet meet our monthly target of 5,000 blood bags. We have so far only 4,000 blood bags, and have a shortage of 1,000 blood bags per month," head of the Tangerang blood donation unit David H.Sidabutar said here Sunday.
The shortage was mainly caused by the lack of blood donors, he said David. Local donors were not yet too enthusiastic in taking part in the PMI-organized blood donation, he said.
"If there is a blood donation, the number of donors does not exceed 50 of the 250 donors," he said.
Despite that, he said he thanked those who had assisted the blood donation drive.
In dealing with the shortage of blood bags, 39 PMI workers kept encouraging people to participate in blood donation, he said, adding that the shortage of blood bags increased during the fasting month of Ramadan.
According to PMI chairman, Jusuf Kalla, the government in 2010 needed a total of 4.6 million blood bags in providing health services, and only two million available in 2009.
"The ideal amount of blood in the country reached two percent of the total population. If the people reached 230 million, the amount should reach 4.6 million bags of blood per year," Kalla said.(*)
(R013/H-NG )
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
