The head of state accompanied by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono presented the awards symbolically to 20 of the generous blood donors.
Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) Chief M. Jusuf Kalla in his report on the occasion said the awardees had donated their blood at least 100 times.
"This means they have dedicated themselves to a humanitarian cause for 25 years," he said.
The donors came from 19 of the country`s 33 provinces. Three provinces with the highest number of blood donors were East Java, Jakarta, and West Java.
The event was attended by several ministers, representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
According to PMI data, Indonesia needs around four million pouches of blood annually of which around 83 percent is obtained from voluntarily donors.
(Uu.F001/HAJM)
Editor: Luki Satrio
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
