KOTA KINABALU: While some areas of Beaufort district may experience flooding, the morale of blood donors remains high as they contribute to replenishing the rapidly dwindling blood bank at the hospital.
Dr Sutharsan Kannan, director of Beaufort Hospital, stated that during their blood donation drive on Saturday (March 22), they collected 125 pints of blood.
“This exceeded our expectations because many areas in Beaufort are still flooded, including the town area, roads and villages,” he said after the event, adding that many came in the late evening.
“We are very grateful for the highly enthusiastic donors as we can now restock our blood bank and, hopefully, have enough stock for the coming Hari Raya period,” he added.
Dr Sutharsan said the blood donation drive planned for March 9 had to be cancelled because the venue was flooded.
He mentioned that, due to the dwindling blood bank, the hospital received assistance from neighbouring hospitals to secure additional blood supplies for patients while the Persatuan Persahabatan Hung Men Beaufort helped organise a flash drive.
“We are extremely grateful for the assistance from everyone,” he said, noting that the recently concluded blood drive at the hospital compound was a joint effort with Y&Y Group, Skuad Ar-Rayyan Sabah, and Kedai Kim Hin.
A breaking of fast programme was also provided for donors at the event, said Dr Sutharsan.
The St. Paul’s Church in Beaufort and the Beaufort Red Crescent Association were also involved in organising the blood drive.
Dr Sutharsan appealed for the public to continue donating blood in the weeks to come, especially during Hari Raya, and to support coming programmes, including those planned in Kg Mentulud on April 12 and Kg Suasa on April 13.
He said the public can follow the Beaufort Hospital's official Facebook page for further information.
Beaufort has experienced flooding several times this year, with the latest occurrence continuing to affect 170 families from eight villages who have sought shelter at the temporary relief centres established on Monday (March 24).
