DILI, 14 july 2022 (TATOLI) – More than 80 officials of Timor-Leste’s State-Run Electric Utility (EDTL-E.P) have today donated blood to the National Blood Bank (NBB) to help those who need it in an emergency or for ongoing medical treatment.
Each day, hundreds of people at the Guido Valadares National Hospital (HNGV) and other regional hospitals need donated blood and blood products to keep them in good health or allow them to stay alive.
The Chief Organizing Committee of EDTL.I.P, Jose Fernandes said the aim of the blood donation is part of the celebration of EDTL.I.P’s second anniversary, which will take place on july 22.
“This blood donation is an act of solidarity to improve or saves the lives of those in need at our hospitals,” Fernandes told reporters at the EDTL’s office, in Dili, today.
At the same place, the Coordinator of the Blood Transfusion Service of the National Blood Bank, Tomas Adelino said that between 6 to 7 liters of blood would be collected from the 80 officials.
Adelino said currently the National Blood Bank still has enough blood for those patients who need blood transfusions at the HNGV: “Now, the National Blood Bank still has more than 200 units of blood. But to cover all the regional hospitals, I think we don’t have enough blood. That’s why we need more blood donations from our regular blood donors in the country.”
He said AB negative is the rarest blood type, saying only 1 or 2 % of the donor population in the country has it: “It can be hard to find donors of this blood type because only 1 or 2% of donors have it.”
Adelino said apart from EDTL there are a number of public institutions that have become regular blood donors for the National Blood Bank – Institute of Health Sciences (ISC), SOLS Becora, Becora Prison, etc.
He thanked EDTL’s officials for donating their blood to save the lives of those Timorese people who desperately need the blood transfusion.
Last month, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia urged potential blood donors in the South-East Asia Region, including Timor-Leste, and across the world to “join the effort” to save lives, improve health and advance health equity by making regular, voluntary, unpaid blood donations.
She said an estimated 2 million more units of blood are urgently required from voluntary unpaid donors in the Region to help patients of all ages live longer and with a higher quality of life, support complex medical and surgical procedures, and accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC), health system resilience and Health for All.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
