Paying it forward: (From left) Zahar and Tang make it a point to donate blood regularly as their way of giving back to society.
KUALA LUMPUR: He spends long hours at work, but lorry driver Zahar Rusuli’s heart is in the right place.
He believes in “paying it forward”, which explains his presence at the National Blood Centre yesterday to make his fourth donation of blood.
“Someday, someone from my family or my relatives may need a blood transfusion. I may need it too one day. It doesn’t matter who donates it to us.
“So, I am leaving some here today, just in case,” he said during an interview.
Although he was fasting and appeared a little weary, the 58-year-old Zahar was undeterred after learning that the blood bank was stocking up in anticipation of the upcoming festive season when the need for blood is expected to rise.
The centre, which is intensifying efforts to replenish its blood supply, had posted its appeal on social media about three weeks ago.
It is common for the number of donors to dwindle during Ramadan, thereby impacting the ideal supply of blood that ought to be maintained at the centre.
According to the staff, there are usually about 200 donors every day, but this number could dip by at least half during the fasting month.
While there is no shortage yet, the centre has called on donors to come forward to ensure a steady supply is available at all times, especially during the Hari Raya celebration.
Retail purchase officer Tang Shu Yee, 39, who is an apheresis blood donor, said she was happy to know that her contribution was saving lives.
Apheresis is a medical procedure that targets and separates blood components such as plasma, platelets or white blood cells from donors’ blood. After the components are collected, the remaining blood that was drawn is returned to the donor.
Tang, who has been a donor since 2011, said she has donated over 40 times.
She would give blood at the centre every month – sometimes twice.
“As I am an apheresis donor, what I donate can go to several people with various health issues. It is just my small way of giving back to society,” she said.
Information technology officer Chia Hyui Giek, 45, said she has donated blood over a dozen times, but yesterday was the first time she was doing so at the blood centre.
“It was really fast here. It took just 30 minutes to complete the whole process. I came here after coming across an appeal for more donors on the Facebook page of the National Blood Centre.”
Chia hopes more people would do so, too.
“Remember, just one pack of blood that we donate can save three lives,” she said.
Low Jun Jie, 26, who came with his girlfriend Chan Joey, 25, to donate blood, said they were also responding to the appeal and felt they had a social obligation to contribute to ensure blood supply was sufficient for Malaysians during Hari Raya.
Both of them, who work as customer service officers, said they hope to continue contributing to the blood centre in the future.
The National Blood Centre, which is located at Jalan Tun Razak, is open between 7.30am and 9pm on weekdays and 8am to 4pm on weekends.
Food is provided for donors who wish to break fast at the centre.
Alternatively, its donation suites are open daily on the third floor at the Mid Valley Megamall between 10am and 9pm (except for buka puasa hours between 7.20pm and 8pm) and at Basement 2 of the new wing of 1 Utama Shopping Centre between 11am and 6.30pm.
It also runs a centre at the west wing of Putrajaya IOI City Mall between 11am and 4pm on weekdays and from 11am to 6pm on weekends and public holidays.
More information can be found at pdn.gov.my/v2/.
