Phuket Blood Bank’s vaults low on Rh- blood ahead of New Year demand
PHUKET: As Phuket enters the 10 Days of Danger (story here), the Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) scrambles to boost low stocks of Rhesus-negative blood, calling on blood donors to come forward and save lives this holiday season.
“We have no AB- blood in stock at all,” PRBC Chief Pornthip Rattajak told the Phuket Gazette today.
“We have a lot of visitors on the island as we approach the New Year, which increases the likelihood of road accidents. The demand for blood over the holiday period is 30 per cent more than the average demand – we need to be prepared,” Chief Pornthip said. “We need all blood types, but we especially need Rhesus-negative [Rh-] blood. We just don’t have enough of it.”
Rhesus negative blood is a common blood type for foreigners, but not Thais.
“Phuket is a tourism destination, so we need to stock a lot of Rh- blood to prepare for tourists in need,” she added.
Donors will receive an appreciation present of a 2013 calendar from Channel 3 if they donate before the end of December.
The PRBC has a variety of screening criteria for blood donors. Find out if you are eligible (click here).
Donations can be made at the PRBC office (map here) Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30am to 4:30pm; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30am to 8pm; and on Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 3pm.
The PRBC will be closed on December 31 and January 1.
For more information contact the PRBC:
38/193 Rattanakosin 200 Years Road,
Taladnua, Muang, Phuket 83000
Tel: 076-251178. Fax. 076-250185
Email: phuketrbc@yahoo.com
— Chutharat Plerin
