Real incentives needed for blood donors

Real incentives needed for blood donors

“As long as you are healthy, you can keep donating blood,” those were the word of a Red Crescent director, while narrating the story of a man who won a gold medal in donating blood for a major part of his life.

by Teoh Thian San, Lucy Teoh Gaik Choo and Tan Siew Khim

“As long as you are healthy, you can keep donating blood,” says Johor Red Crescent director, Tahir Ahmad.

He was relating the example of a 72-year-old who donated blood for many consecutive years until he recently passed away.

He was awarded a gold medal by the Health Ministry for his efforts.

Tahir was speaking to Komunitikini while organising a blood donation campaign at Johor Bahru’s Carrefour shopping plaza recently.

“One can donate blood three times a year, with a healthy four-month gap between each donation,” Tahir added, with a caveat that individuals under medication are normally not allowed to donate blood.

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“I feel much lighter and at ease when I donate blood,” said a Carrefour manager, Abdul Manaf Hassan.

“I don’t feel so rigid anymore after I donate,” agreed another Carrefour staff named Rohani.