Blood Stocks Drop to Critically Low Level
Stocks at the National Blood Transfusion Center (NBTC) are critically low and hundreds of units short of meeting demand, leading management at the center to publicly appeal for people to come forward and help restore the depleted reserves. Dr. Hok Kim Cheng, the NBTC’s director, said Wednesday that the shortage was mainly due to donations from university students in Phnom Penh having dropped by up to 70 percent over the August holiday season. “Now we have only 200 units in stock,” he said. “We are lacking blood. The shortage is because of the vacation season. At the same time, there is a high demand for blood.” In June, hundreds of people—most of them young—donated blood as part of a nine-day countrywide drive ahead of the 10th World Blood Donor Day. At the time, Dr. Kim Cheng said the NBTC needs to maintain a supply of a minimum 700 units to meet demand. … Mardy Sek, the World Health Organization’s national professional officer for blood safety, said the pre- and post-election climates have also contributed to the drop in voluntary donations. … He [Mardy Sek] said the rate of voluntary donations in Cambodia is about 30 percent, but that it needs to cover 100 percent of the population by 2020 to be in line with international standards. …
Phorn Bopha
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/blood-stocks-drop-to-critically-low-level-41240/
