Demand for blood increasing

By KELVIN JOE
THE demand for blood at hospitals is increasing, Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) blood bank team leader Sr Julieth Chuesaho says.
Sr Chueasho said the PMHG-Blood Bank needed about 350 bags of blood on average in a week to treat referral cases and distribute to patients in other hospitals.
“Though we collect 70-80 per cent of targeted 350 bags of blood in a week, we still need blood,” she said.
“We have collected 80 per cent of blood last week but it was not enough to meet the weekly demand.”
She said a donated bag contains 400ml (volume) of blood and helps save three lives.
Chueasho told The National on Wednesday, the second day of Black Swan International’s blood donation drive in Port Moresby.
According to Black Swan International, quality workforce health safety and environment manager Kalesita Naime, the company took the initiative to donate blood to PMGH-Blood Bank as its community obligation to improve health and help save lives.
“We challenge and encourage our employees to donate blood because it is for a worthy cause to save someone’s lives,” she said.
“Our main aim is to donate blood to ensure there is available supply of blood in the hospital to help people in need.
“If we have an accident within the workforce, we can easily identify the blood donor to help save the victim from their blood identity through this donation drive.”
Naime said the security company had signed in 37 staff on Tuesday to donate blood but only 13 were eligible to donate.
She said the company aimed to donating around 50 bags of blood for the PMGH blood bank.
She said the company had about a thousand staff and would continue to donate blood every six months.
Meanwhile, the PMGH blood bank team has encouraged and thanked business houses, government organisations and schools to continue donating blood to help save more lives.