This is swell for Yangon. What about the rest of the country? Is the 'National' Blood Centre really just the 'Yangon' Blood Centre?
Jamie
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Blood centre starts donation campaign to ensure adequate hospital supplies
Aung Phay Kyi Soe
17 June 2019
The National Blood Center of Myanmar (NBC) has started its Team 99 Campaign to ensure adequate blood supplies for 14 hospitals in Yangon Region, a senior health official says.
The campaign kicked off on Friday, World Blood Donor Day, and will run until May 30, 2020, Dr Thida Aung, deputy director general of the NBC said on Saturday.
“The purpose of Team 99 Campaign is to get more regular voluntary blood donors for hospital. We will honour the team that donates the most blood during World Blood Donor Day 2020,” Dr Thida Aung said.
To participate in the campaign, each team must have 11 voluntary blood donors, and the team’s donors must include people with all blood types: A, B, AB and O. Team members have to produce their national identity cards when the team registers for the campaign. Corporate entities, NGOs, or charity groups will not be allowed to participate in the campaign.
Each team member can donate blood three times over the year-long campaign period, which means a team of 11 could donate a maximum of 33 times during the campaign.
According to the NBC, each blood donation could potentially save three lives, so each team of 11 that donates the maximum number of times during the campaign could save 99 people, hence the name of the campaign Team 99.
Volunteer blood donors must be between the ages of 18 and 55, and men must weigh at least 49 kilograms (110 pounds) and women at least 45kg. Donors are checked for contagious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, malaria, and elephantiasis before being allowed to donate.
“I plan to donate blood at the NBC with my family members and relatives for the Team 99 Campaign in the coming week. I’m delighted that my blood donation can save three people’s lives. Blood donation is a noble deed,” said Ko Linn Tun, a resident of Tarmwe township.
The centre supplied 176,500 units of blood from a total of 96,939 voluntary blood donors to 14 major hospitals and other medical facilities in Yangon last year. The centre delivers at least 300 units a day to each hospital.
The hospitals supplied with blood by the center include Yangon General, New Yangon General, Yangon Specialty, the Orthopaedic Hospital, the Workers’ Hospital, the Yangon Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Yangon Eye Specialist Hospital, North Okkalapa General, Hlaing Tharyar General, Wai Bargi, Mingaladon, the Aung San TB Specialty Hospital, Thaketa, and Jivitadana Sangha.
The NBC receives blood from almost 150 donors a day, with up to 70 donors coming from Shwe Dagon Pagoda near the NBC. The centre holds at least 20 donation events each month and plans to start supplying Yangon Children’s Hospital, Yankin Children’s Hospital, and Central Women’s Hospital by the end of the year.
Last year, a total of 438,346 units of blood were supplied to patients all over Myanmar, and 72 percent came from voluntary blood donors, according to the NBC.
For more information about the Team 99 Campaign, go to the NBC website at www.donatebloodmyanmar.org.
https://www.mmtimes.com/news/blood-centre-starts-donation-campaign-ensure-adequate-hospital-supplies.html
