KOTA KINABALU: Ranau Hospital here is facing a critical shortage of blood supply, said Sabah Health Department (JKNS) director Datuk Dr Christina Rundi.
She said the public is urged to step up and assist the hospital, especially during its blood donation drive on May 16, at between 8am and 1pm.
"The normal usage for the hospital is between 40 and 50 pints of blood every week.
"However, the hospital managed to collect only 49 pints during a blood donation programme on April 23," she said in a statement.
Dr Christina added that the shortage is due to the cancellation of blood donation programmes during the Movement Control Order (MCO) but there are still small-scale blood donation drives being held.
Meanwhile, she said the state has since recorded the highest number of thalassemia patients in the country.
"Until last year, there were 1,877 thalassemia patients reported throughout the state, with 873 (46.5 per cent) of them below the age of 12.
"JKNS has special programmes to manage and control the disease by emphasising on treatment, screening and health promotion," she said.
The treatment for the inherited blood disorder used to be just monthly blood transfusions. Now, disease management includes iron chelating therapy and bone marrow transplant.
To date, 10 thalassemia patients have undergone transplants at the Likas Women and Children's hospital here.
Yesterday, World Thalassemia Day was celebrated with the theme: "The dawning of a new era for thalassemia: Time for a global effort to make novel therapies accessible and affordable to patients."