IPOH: Despite being scared of needles, Adib Abdul Razak donates blood once every three months because he has a rare blood type.
The 43-year-old salesman said he was told last year that his blood, A+ type JK3, is one of the rarest blood groups.
“In my family, it is quite common for us to donate blood. In fact, my brothers were among those who encouraged me to donate. My first donation was a few years ago at the National Blood Centre (PDN) in Kuala Lumpur.
“I took part in the donation drive in Ipoh last year and a few days later, I received a call from Hospital Taiping about my blood type and that they are in need of it,” he said after receiving the blood donor award for the rare blood category at Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital here yesterday.
Adib, who has 11 other siblings, said each time he donated blood, he would look away from the needle.“Even though I have donated my blood more than 20 times, I still divert my eyes elsewhere when the nurse inserts the needle.
“I kept telling myself that since I don’t have money to donate to help others, the least I could do is to donate my blood,” he said.
“Even if my blood was not rare, I will still donate because I know how much it can help,” he added.
Perak health committee chairman Mohd Akmal Kamaruddin commended Adib for his donation.
“In Perak, we only have Adib and another man that shares the same blood type. They will continue to donate for as long as they can.
“I would like to thank Adib and all other donors who continue helping others,” he said.
“Right now, only 2.25% (of the Perak population) are donors, which is still low compared to the national blood donation rate, which is at 2.5%.We hope we can increase it to 2.5% this year.
“I will also suggest to the state religious department to encourage blood donations in their Friday sermons at mosques,” he said, adding that about 60,000 bags of blood are donated annually in the state, with about 4,800 bags used monthly.
