By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, Feb 11: Some 100 blood donors rolled up their sleeves and bled for a good cause in a blood donation drive in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Sarawak National Youth Association (Saberkas).
Saberkas vice president Abang Abdul Aziz Rauf reveals that it is one of 727 programmes planned by the non-government organisation (NGO) in celebrating their golden jubilee year.
“The programme is to create continuous awareness, especially for those who need blood,” he said.
“The Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) blood bank constantly faces depleting blood supply as it needs at least 70 pints daily,” he added.
Abdul Aziz said this to reporters during a press conference after the programme was held at a leading shopping mall today.
He was also deputising for Saberkas president, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who is also Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts.
Meanwhile, Abdul Aziz said the number of youths joining Saberkas is encouraging, and it is always their objective to bring them to the NGO.
“We want to instil the spirit of volunteerism in our youth so that our society would always be cooperative to one another,” he said.
The blood donation drive was organised by the Saberkas Pending Branch in collaboration with the Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC) and SGH.
Among those presents were Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap; SGH Transfusion Medicine Department and Blood Bank medical transfusion specialist Dr Wong Yi Shen; MRC Stampin chairman Chai Chon Hon; and organising chairperson Audrey Low. — DayakDaily
