The Thais have finally funded the blood bank that has been looking for funds for at least the last seven years ...

Maybe blood will be safer now.

[him] moderator

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Thailand-aided new Myanmar national blood bank to open next year
Xinhua News Agency
25 Nov 2009

YANGON, Nov 25, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- A new national blood bank in Myanmar's biggest city of Yangon, built with the aid of Thailand, will open in the beginning of next year, sources with the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.

With a total of 780,000 U.S. dollars funded by the Princess of Thailand Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Thai National Red Cross Society, the blood bank is established to become the largest of its kind in the country.

The blood bank has a capacity of storing more than 1,500 blood units and can render technical aid to all other blood centers in the country, the sources said.

Meanwhile, the Thai red cross also provided over 180,000 dollars each to build two hospitals in two villages of Taman and Kyonekadon in cyclone hard-hit Ayeyawaddy division, it also said.

In the wake of blood shortage in hospitals, the Myanmar health authorities have appealed to the public for more donation of blood.

According to Yangon hospital sources, up to 3,000 units of blood are in regular demand monthly by the blood bank which supplies 80 percent of the blood in need in the hospitals.

Over the four-year period from 2004 to 2008, a total of 62,715 patients benefited from blood donation in time through the hospital, while 40,837 other patients are still in short of the blood, the sources said.

As an encouragement for more people to donate blood for saving lives, the health authority honored blood doners who had their blood transfused to patients in need for more than 50 times, the hospital sources disclosed.

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