KUCHING, May 31: Members of the community heeded the call for help with 115 donors signing up for a blood donation drive here before 12 noon today.
Organised by Sarawak Federation of Chinese Associations (SFCA), the joint event with the Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC) Sarawak Chapter and Sarawak General Hospital Blood Bank was held at Dewan Masyarakat, Jalan Padungan.
Expressing his gratitude to the donors including SFCA members who supported the event, SFCA president Datuk Richard Wee said many have stepped up to support this good cause.
“Our hospitals need more blood to continue saving lives. With the Covid-19 pandemic, their supplies are running low, therefore we can help by donating our blood,” he said, urging more people to come forward to donate blood after a brief ceremony to hand over food items to successful donors.
He also thanked MRC personnel for working hard with SGH blood bank personnel to ensure a constant supply of blood for the hospital.
On SFCA’s part, Richard said its members are doing what they can to contribute.
Meanwhile, Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng was also at the event.
The blood donation drive is supposed to end today (May 31). However, due to the good response, Wee said it will be extended until June 30.
“I am also very grateful to Richard and SFCA for constantly supporting this cause. It is great to have them and Red Crescent for this campaign again. We are very happy because it shows that Kuching people are very caring, especially during this Gawai Dayak festive holidays. Although many people are unable to go back to their ‘kampung’ to celebrate, they choose to come here and donate blood to save lives. It shows that we have a caring society and that is what is should be.
“We would like to inform the public that this campaign has been extended until June 30. We encourage more people to join and donate their blood in a safe, comfortable and conducive hall here,” Wee said, adding that the organisers are also following the Health Ministry’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) throughout the campaign to contain the spread of Covid-19.
The blood donation drive will be closed on June 1 and 2 for Gawai Dayak but resumes after on a daily basis until June 30. — DayakDaily
