Materia Medica Malaysiana

Blood Bank seeks more platelet donors

PETALING JAYA: The National Blood Bank needs more non-Muslim platelet donors in Ramadan, as most Muslims would not be donating blood when they observe their month-long fast.

National Blood Bank medical officer Dr Vaani Valerie said the number of platelet donors had gone down by about 75% after the fasting month started on Oct 15.

“The shortage is also due to the increased number of dengue cases recently,” she said, adding that Muslim donors usually made up 50% to 60% of the donors. The platelets can be kept for five days.

Dr Vaani said the blood bank provided platelets to at least 30 patients at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital as well as patients at other hospitals in the Klang Valley.

Patients with dengue fever and leukaemia were those who needed the blood product most, she said when met at The Star’s blood donation drive at Menara Star here yesterday.

Dr Vaani said platelet donation could only be done at the blood bank as donors had to go through the aphaeresis process that extracted platelet and plasma from one’s blood.

“Donors can choose to donate either platelet or plasma (the watery, yellowish fluid in which the blood cells are suspended and move through veins and arteries in the body) or both.

“The red blood cells (which contain haemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen to body tissues) are returned to the donors in the process,” she said.