It is because every minute of any given day someone needs blood to survive a life-threatening ailment and that is why modern-day communities always have human blood stocks collected from blood donors.
In the blood donation act, a healthy person voluntarily undergoes a blood-letting procedure and the resulting blood is used to help other people in need of fresh blood.
But according to Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) chairman Jusuf Kalla, the country has a shortage of about one million pouches of blood every year.
"At present Indonesia is in need of around 4,5 million pounces of blood while last year we had only 3.5 million pouches. This means we are short of one million pouches," said the former vice president in Bandung, West Java, recently.
Speaking at a function to install Insp Gen Adang Rochjana to replace Karna Swanda as West Java`s PMI chairman, Kalla said the demand of blood in 2014 was predicted to reach 5 million pouches.
Therefore, he expressed hope that PMI would continue to grow in every region in order to meet the national blood demand.
Kalla asserted that PMI had three main duties to run, namely to promote blood donation, face natural disasters, and to do its social task.
"I am optimistic that if these three duties are carried out well, PMI will grow even bigger to meet the national blood demand in the years to come because it is great benefit," Kalla said.
In addition, he expressed hope that PMI`s social service to the people could be stepped up.
But it should be supported with an adequate number of blood donation cars.
According to the PMI chairman, Indonesia at present has only 25 units of blood donor cars and still needed another 100.
"Hopefully we can procure the additional 100 blood donation cars this year," Kalla said, explaining that one such blood donation car could produce around 50 pouches of blood.
He said blood donation cars were of great importance to meet blood requirements in the country.
According to him, the people today have a high interest in blood donation but unfortunately it was not accompanied with adequate and effective equipment.
Meanwhile, West Java Vice Governor Dede Yusuf said in Bandung that the Indonesian Red Cross was greatly needed in critical moments in natural disasters.
Dede called on the people in West Java to donate their blood willingly to meet the blood requirements at both regional and national levels.
However, Tangerang city`s Indonesian Red Cross in Banten province still has a blood shortage of 1,000 pouches per month.
Head of the Tangerang blood donation unit David Sidabutar said recently that the monthly target of 5,000 blood pouches could not be met.
"So far we have only 4,000 blood pouches and short of 1,000 bags per month," he said, adding that the shortage was mainly caused by the lack of local blood donors who were not enthusiastic in taking part in the PMI-organized blood donation drive.
He said if there was a blood donation activity, the number of donors did not exceed 50 of the 250 donors.
In dealing with the shortage of blood bags, 39 PMI workers in Tangerang kept encouraging people to participate in blood donation.
According to PMI chairman, Jusuf Kalla, the government in 2010 needed a total of 4.6 million blood bags in providing health services, but only two million are available in 2009.
"The ideal amount of blood in the country is two percent of the total population. In a population of 230 million, the amount should be 4.6 million bags of blood per year," Kalla said.
Expecting an increase of blood supply, the Indonesian Red Cross wanted to build new blood donation centers in shopping malls and university campuses across the country.
Therefore, Kalla has asked its branches throughout the country to step up the collection of blood from donors in anticipation of blood supply shortage.
In anticipating this, Kalla called on the PMI branches all over the country to collect more blood.
During the official launch of a blood donation unit in Crystal Lagoon at Senayan City Mall in South Jakarta in August last year, Kalla said PMI wanted to bring people closer to the blood donation centers so that donating blood became a second nature.
The former vice president admitted that at present Indonesia faced a shortage in blood donors, while according to international standards a country should ideally have enough blood supply for at least two percent of its population at all times.(*)
Reporter: Otniel Tamindael
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
